


Scars like mine

by Nuclear_Valentyn



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adult Content, Angst, Danger, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Relationship(s), Love, Near Death, Relationship(s), Romance, Scars, Sexual Content, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 10:33:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 25,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5964154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nuclear_Valentyn/pseuds/Nuclear_Valentyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A small tale of SS Val and Hancock's developing relationship, strengthened with the face of death and past pain  that brought them closer together when they both realize they share the same scars.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i would like to thank the readers who have stopped to read my little fanfic. it means alot and is greatly appreciated. just a brief warning, i am no writer, i am an artist, i tell stories better with pictures. did my best to make sure spelling and grammar were good but there is bound to be the odd mess up.  
> either than that, MATURE WARNING FOR ADULT SITUATIONS, NO LIKE NO READ.  
> if you don't mind that then please read on.

______________________________________________  
The air was thick and moist with a ghostly haze casting over the scorched and brittle terrain that was the remainder of the common wealth. The only thing breaking the dead silence was the subtle flow of wind and the audible frustration as boney, worn fingers aggressively dragged over the flint wheel of an old flip lighter repeatedly.

  
“Fuck…” Hancock hissed as he desperately cupped the crinkled cigarette that was between his thin lips with his hands , trying multiple times to get the old lighter to ignite his smoke.

Hancock’s brow furrowed tightly as he came to the conclusion that the air was to wet to make the pre-war lighter take spark.  
“I bet a flamer would work better than this piece of shit…” The ghoul sighed as he shoved the lighter back into the worn pocket of his red frock.

The Ghoul trudged the gravel on the road.  
Val halted her steps and turned to look at the ghoul who had a very apparent look of disappointment wash over his face. The woman reached into the back pocket of her chaffed leather pants.

“Here, try mine…” Val offered as she tossed her tarnished lighter to Hancock whose face brightened the moment the ghoul clasped it between his hands.

Eagerly flipping the cap back and striking the flint. a large spark ignited into a warm little flame behind Hancock’s fingers just long enough for Him to excitedly shove the tip of his cigarette into the heat and take light.

“oh thank god” Hancock said with an exhale of smoke that blended with the fog around the two figures standing in the haze. Sweet nicotine relief filled his lungs as he took another deep drag.

  
“Better?” Val questioned as Hancock reached back into his frock pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes, flipping back the lid and drawing another cigarette from the stained package.

  
“I will be once you have a smoke with me..” he said walking up to Val and offering up the smoke to her with a soft smile.

  
At first Val gave a slight one sided grimace to the rolled tobacco between Hancock’s long and boney fingers. Val didn’t really smoke, she never cared to, didn’t see the fun in it even before the bombs fell.

Val’s dark green eyes must have lingered on the smoke for to long cuz it was no time at all she found the ghoul placing the smoke between her pink lips and lighting it.

  
“what if I didn’t want a smoke?” she asked pulling the cigarette from her mouth, giving a slight knit to her brow as she tasted the stale smoke that filled her mouth.

  
“hey, you only live once, so live alittle. Besides consider it a well-earned break from setting up.The last few days at the marina have been killer and we both haven’t touched anything since, I think one little smoke wouldn’t kill ya” Hancock said with his smooth yet raspy tone.

Smiling as he watched the cloud of smoke wisp slowly out of Val’s parted lips.

  
“yeah I know, it’s just… I’ll be glad once we are done setting up. Don’t get me wrong, I love this little project of ours, it’s just been a real tiring last few days and I don’t want to lose focus on what needs to be done. The defences are still not even up yet and that’s the one thing that’s bugging the shit outta me the most” Val said as she walked up beside Hancock who had began walking northward down the broken and split road.

  
“All the more reason you should have that smoke and just relax abit, don’t be in such a rush to finish a good thing, we’ll be done setting up real soon, sooner than you know it and then once we are finished there will be something else that needs to be taken care of. Take your luxuries when ya can sister... and live a little”  
Hancock hummed as he hauled on the smoke, releasing the white smoke glancing down at Val whose sour expression turned less bitter as Hancock’s words sunk in, she broke away smiling as she looked off to the misty river to her left.

  
Hancock was right and Val began to reel her worries back in as she let a breathless giggle escape her throat. It made Hancock smile wider to know he got a happier tone out of her even if it was just a little gesture. But the smile made it more than just a breathless laugh.

 

  
It didn’t take much for Him to set Val’s mood in a better place, though he never really had that much of a problem with anyone He found it was a more rewarding feeling when it came from Val. As did many things feel as of late with her.  
Val placed her view back on Hancock who exhaled his smoke in a large cloud, her eyes moved past the rolling smoke to his black orbs which were looking down at her darkly rimmed eyes. And for a brief moment she found herself lost in obsidian spheres. Yet again she must have been staring for too long cuz now Hancock’s chaffed brow had twitched up just enough to snap her out of those black pools. Val quickly darted her eyes away.

“shit… uh say something… don’t make this awkward… fuck” Val thought , mentally chewing her bottom lip.

“I- it’s to bad Phyllis decided to move on… I really thought she was going to join the minutemen” Val said between drags quickly trying to change the awkwardness she felt in her gut. But it was failing horribly and she found herself trying to inflate her emotions with each drag of the smoke between her slender fingers.

The ghoul gave a slight chuckle to the woman’s attempt to hide what she did there. So he entertained Val’s attempt.

“Sometimes people just can’t accept what’s happened and need to move on, feeling that the kindness of others is wasted on them. It is to bad, but the bright side is that she may just find a place that works for her. But don’t be to bummed out, her moving on has left us with a pretty decent set up, I gotta say”  
Hancock told Val as they ventured off the roadway into the skeletal trees.

  
“ true enough, I do have to admit it will be pretty amazing once we are done, i just can’t wait to get a decent night sleep without having to worry about raiders or anything else.”  
Val explained taking a final drag of her smoke as she flicked it into the waters flowing down river.

“ I feel ya doll” Hancock stopped to put out his smoke beneath his buckled boot.

Val drew her vision upward as she raised her hand up to her blackened grease forehead that bled down her eye socket as her vision tried to fix at the structures through the trees in the distance.  
She could only just barely make out the shape of an old crumbling over pass that spanned the width of the river that flowed underneath. Something atop the over pass didn’t seem quite right to her. Val’s eyes narrowed as she tried to make out the shapes that seemed to slowly move from one side to the other and occasionally faded in and out.

Hancock walked up just beside his shorter partner to try and gauge what she was staring at.

“something up?” he questioned in a slightly hushed tone.  
Val found it hard to take her eyes off the over pass but slowly managed to pull her gaze off the structure to look up at the ghoul.

“no…. just trying to get my bearings, we should scavenge on the other side of the river for parts, but the river seems to be our only hindrance. We can’t use the over pass and I’m not to keen on swimming… im uh.. not that good at it, so that’s out of the question.” Val added with a slight huff

“ I do believe there is a bridge just a little further up the river, it just packed to the nuts with wrecks, that’s the only other option if you wanna scav that side of the river.” Hancock replied back.  
Val nodded her partially shaved head in response.

The pair made their way quickly up the bank, going up a slight rise in terrain to a rock wall that had a major support pillar resting atop of it, to the large over pass that Val was viewing further back down the trail from the tree line.  
Hancock was ahead of her as she kept her view from him to the rocky surface beneath her boots, the rocks were damp and slippery, Val cursed at the periodic slip in footing that would screw up her balance. This was a bitch and she wasn’t enjoying this part of their venture.

  
Trying to find the right foot perch was proving frustrating. Val was about to openly verbalize her disdain for the current situation but instead held her tongue when she heard something that sounded like a voice. A voice that wasn’t Hancock’s, who was up ahead from her but she would have clearly heard him say something.  
Instead of making her decent down off the rock, the woman found herself trying to listen for the sound again, but any attempts became muffled over the river.

  
Hancock reached the bottom of the rock wall that had slope down on the other side, there the ghoul looked up at the woman who had seemed to stop altogether. Resting his thin fingers on his hips Hancock cocked his head to the side looking for a response to why Val had slowed down.  
Val took notice to this and hurried herself down the rocky slope to meet up with the ghoul who traversed the obstacle with little trouble.

“sorry, I thought I heard something as we were coming over the rocks there” Val said as she jumped down the last few rocks, meeting back up with Hancock , the two continued towards the bridge.

“I thought I heard something to but it just sounded like a noise, to quiet really for me to think it was something, what did you hear?” Hancock asked, using a tree limb to pull himself up a steep grade.

“ I thought I heard a voice… not to sure though I didn’t hear any words just the sound of a voice…. I don’t know, I may just be jumpin at nothing… no sleep over a course of a few days does that to ya” Val said back with some exhaustion.

“maybe… but still can’t be too cautious “ Hancock replied.  
The woman shrugged her shoulders slightly, she honestly did feel more worn out than usual, so Val placed the whole thing in the back of her mind. She wanted to focus more on getting across the bridge and on the other side of the river.

  
The fog didn’t seem to lift any since they left the Marina, which was a little more than an hour ago. The ground held a slight crunch under the pairs boots, Val noted the flecks of ice shards that clustered over the mounds of gray and brown soil that look just as dark and dead as everything else that stood on it. This would be the first time Val spent a Winter in this new and decimated world. Already it would be one like no other, not like the happy Winters before everything became this.  
She fell easily into thought and lagged behind her tall, ghoulish companion who seemed so equipped to deal with this world.  
The figures moved silently through the cold fog. The subtle shape of the bridge just off in the distance.

<oooooo00000OOOOO00000oooooo>

The air was significantly colder on the bridge. Or atleast it felt like a sudden change in temperature when Hancock and Val passed the columns that were washed out and weather beaten from harsh storms over 2 centuries. Val’s skin prickled on her slender arms, her body heat not being enough to keep her right metal armored arm warm.

She wasn’t overly bugged by the feeling she had suffered through worse. 210 years of ice cold, practically colder than death must have somewhat hardened her to the weather. Just being in the wasteland you learn to harden up fast or be dead fast.  
Tarnished and almost bleeding rust was the most apparent detail to most of the metal wrecks that were waved over the surface of the bridge, which wasn’t all that big. This made navigating the bridge more like a maze of metal corpses.

Hancock paused for a moment and peered into one of the blown out windows for any scrap metal or wiring. Chances were low that anything that fine and small would last the degradation of rust and radiation so out in the open, the Ghoul gave a slight sigh as he pulled his tricorn dawned head out of the vehicle.

  
“Never really do find anything worth while in most cars, no point scavenging here, come on.” Hancock explained, gesturing with a withered hand for Val to follow him off the bridge.

  
There was a ruined building just off to the right from the other end of the bridge. Though it didn’t look quite like much from here. Val gave a slight nod to her friend and tagged behind him.

Val didn’t find herself paying much attention to her surroundings, despite being deep in thought once again. She never really opened her mouth unless it was something really worth noting, like back at the over pass, but when her mind wandered on other things more personal she generally kept it to herself.

Better that way then letting people know what makes you tick, less likely that some asshole would be able to fuck with you, and out here that could mean life or death. Though it was not like what she found herself pondering this time around was of any value at the moment.  
There wasn’t much to look at for scenery and everything was so destroyed and fallen, which did hold it’s own beauty in a way to Val, but she just didn’t pick up on those details today.

Instead she found herself staring at the back of her companion. Looking at the fine detail of Hancock’s red Frock.  
The vintage coat must have been so much more than an antique, it even amazed Val at how well the coat seemed to hold up. the seams on the shoulders were meagrely stitched with thick thread from wear and tear since Hancock removed it from it’s protective glass case.

Since then it had been torn and scuffed up and in some spots it was clear that it had seen some scuffles here and there but It’s not like the attire was going to be of much use to anyone else anymore. Val had to admit that it hung on the ghouls skeletal frame well. It gave Hancock a certain presence and appeal that only matched his charm and charisma, to which the ghoul prided himself on.

  
It was no wonder why Hancock became mayor. Though the calibre of people who occupied good neighbour when that happened must have been a dramatic change then the thugs who were running the place before hand. Just goes to show how just the right personality can alter even the darkest of situations.  
Val admired that fondly of Hancock. She admired him quite a bit as of late. The project of building up the Egret tours marina proved her admiration even more so, honestly that place probably wouldn’t even be anything more than some dive on the waters edge. Hancock knew how to build a place from the ground up and she found those skills particularly helpful if she was going to help Preston build the Minutemen back up as well.

  
Still though she found herself taking more than admiration into hand when she kept her eyes on him. Just the way he carried himself gave her a certain confidence and security she otherwise wouldn’t feel on her own.  
Val’s expression fell slightly to the thought of where she might be right now if she hadn’t gotten this far. And where was ‘Far’ to her? Compared to the life she had before it was a mere blink from the bombs falling, to witnessing her family being torn apart and her not being able to do a thing to interject and stop it.

To entering a world that was just as scarred outwardly as she was internally. Far just didn’t seem like the world to sum up her last few months of her life. Far was a way of measuring distance between two spaces, not something she would use to say how greatly detached she was from the rest of the world.  
But Hancock had a way of pulling her right back to a closer level she could cope with. She realized that, and that was something that held more value to her then anything else in the common wealth. Keeping a clear mind kept you alive, and that was what Hancock was doing for Val.

  
Though through all her thought and lack of paying attention she hadn’t realized Hancock had been glancing over his shoulder back at her. She didn’t even know how long he had been looking at her with those black sunken orbs. Nor did she notice that they were now standing up against the ruined building on the side of the road.

“ oh… sorry I was just thinking…” Val said with a quiet tone in her voice, not sure if there was anyone occupying the demolished space above them.  
Hancock raised his one brow to her in a manner that clearly told her that Hancock knew more then she led on. But she wasn’t about to give that in and pulled out her silenced 10 mm pistol to continue on into the building.

  
Very slowly and as silently as she could, Val placed her footing carefully, passing Hancock whose eyes followed the woman. The ghouls expression raised as he watched the woman enter the building. While she was busy lost in thought and not paying attention Hancock watched her pale face show just what she was thinking. He could read more into it then she would give him credit too, but he was sure she already knew that. It’s why she would often look away to smile when he pegged what she was thinking.

He shoved that aside though, this current situation need his full attention till they knew the area was clear. Raising up his double barrel shot gun, he followed in closely behind the woman who had taken first entry.  
The old sign above the distressed door way swayed in the breeze, creaking softly to the motion.  
Hancock raised his shot gun up, noting the lack of ceiling above their heads, piled upon the floor from a cave in. there was no need to wonder if there was a second story, it was clear to see there was.

  
Breaking away from his smaller partner who had made her way up to the bar, Hancock steadily made his way up the stairs.

Dusty bottles upon the counter top were accompanied by a few pieces of human bones. Val didn’t take much head to the sight anymore, making her way behind the bar to sight anything that may be of use.

There was not much on the second floor of the pub. A lonely skeleton rested upon the decayed old couch in front of a non-functional TV.  
Everything held a thick layer of dust or grime, there was a definite smell of mold and degradation swelling the air. Taking up most of the ghouls exposed nasal cavity. Wary, Hancock placed a subtle step onto the remaining floor boards, hoping that they didn’t give way under his weight.

  
“shit…” Val hissed with disdain.

On the wall attached to a thin wire was a tension sensitive mechanism, jerry rigged to nothing else but a home made explosive.  
Her mossy eyes rolled in her head. This was not something she wanted to fumble with on only a few hours’ sleep.  
Val gave a sour face at a pause before slowly reaching for a sweet spot that would render the bomb useless. After a moment of steady handling a soft click gave Val the all clear that the device wasn’t going to explode.

She let out a long and heavy exhale. Not realizing she was holding her breath the whole time.  
Removing the device from the peeling door frame, she removed any good wiring and copper before dumping the remains of the wooden casing on the gritty floor.  
The door creaked loudly on it’s rusty hinges. There wasn’t much behind the door. A shelf with one stimpak and inhaler of jet.

  
“ found some Rad-x and Med-x but nothing else….” Hancock uttered, gripping the chems in his free hand as he came down the stairs, leaning slightly to see what Val may have found.

“a Stimpak and one inhaler of Jet….. a tension bomb for this? People put value to the smallest of things.” Val gave a slight grump to her findings.

Not really worth the trouble of disarming a bomb.

  
“ well atleast it’s something.” Hancock added.

  
“here man, you take the Jet, I don’t do the stuff.”  
Val offered up the inhaler to her companion, who looked at it and gestured for her to hold onto it.

  
“I’ve got a stash full, why don’t you hold onto it in case ya change your mind. Jet can be a good trip.”

Val rolled her head to the side softly, reluctantly she put both Jet and the stimpak into her hip pouch.

  
“ I’m not one for the hard stuff though” she uttered with hesitation.

  
“it all depends on how you deal with your shit, sister.” The ghoul added with a chime.

  
A slight smile cornered on her face along with a slight shake of the head to her companions comment.

  
“come on, there’s not much else here, let’s follow the road, see if there’s a better site to pick through.” Val said, Holstering her pistol to her hip. Stepping out to the street.

  
Hancock gave a chill smile, resting his double barrel over his right shoulder.

  
“lead the way, doll.” Waving his hand out for Val to take lead this time.  
It was time she spends some time upfront ahead of Him. This made the ghoul have a slight chuckle.

  
The ghoul wanted to laugh out loud when he saw the slightest change in facial expression from Val, who realized exactly what Hancock meant.  
She didn’t interject however and simply threw a leg out to begin her saunter west down the road that was just as thickly covered with fog. holding a gaze to the ghoul whose calm smile now widened even further.  
The figures moved further west ward.

  
<oooooo00000OOOO00000oooooo>

  
Well into the after noon now, Hancock found himself reaching into his pocket once again looking for the familiar feeling of his cigarette pack and lighter. The fog had lifted alittle since the rise of the mid noon sun warming the ground just enough to give some relief in visibility.  
There was a wash of satisfaction in Hancock this time when he found little trouble in lighting his smoke. He let a long and relaxed exhale of smoke fill the air. The ghoul observed the flip lighter for a moment. He still had Val’s lighter. Reaching into his opposite pocket he pulled forth his lighter. Flipping the lid back and repeatedly striking the flint wheel.

  
Nothing.

  
Not even the slightest of spark.

  
Hancock shook the lighter beside his shrivelled ear, it didn’t sound like it was full at all.  
It ran low on fluid.  
The ghoul chewed his tongue in frustration. Tossing the lighter off to his side, landing in a patch of tall dried grass.

  
Though he still held Val’s lighter in his right hand he looked past it at the woman who was walking infront of him. A good distance between the two. His pace stayed steady while watching her walk ahead. He didn’t know if he was reading too much into it with all that metaphorical crap, but that lighter made him ponder the past few months with this Woman. Val must not have been but a week fresh out of the vault when she found her way into Goodneighbour. Looking at her then was like looking at a splash of colour on an otherwise dark and distressing painting. Despite how darkly she came off she was a deep yet rich colour on that painting, and it strangely fit well with Hancock. Her first words out of her mouth is what caught his attention. Fresh into a world that was so willing to swallow the easily swayed alive, and here she was standing her ground with an asshole well known for extortion, the moment she walked into town.  
Hancock had to admire her for that. After all not everyone could just push off an oppressive situation that easily. Her act made it possible for Hancock to remove Finn finally. After all, that asshole earned what happened to him.

Hancock couldn’t help but give a slight chuckle when he remembered her reaction to his swift and miss luring removal of Finn. Her gratitude was well placed though.

It was easy to admit that he had abit of a laugh when she went running around town painting it silver for Kent. Rest his soul. She did what she could despite losing Kent, Hancock knew very much that some things are just so far out of our hands it’s hard to avoid disaster. Let alone stopping it directly.  
But hey she managed that to now didn’t she? Bobbi was ready to rob him blind, kill Hancock’s best people for some meager caps and chems. Lied about that whole thing to. But Val was very clear on her apology to Hancock for getting unknowingly involved in the scheme. Yet she went to lengths to ensure Hancock kept his property.

Not many people he knew would go to such measures especially only knowing someone for a few days.  
Val was someone who got shit done, and what she had done made the ghoul think about all these months and just how they have played out. To Hancock they had been more than just a walk through the commonwealth , they were dark nights accompanied by laughs and booze, helping others and bringing fairly earned justice to the lesser forms of life in this shit world. These were the good things.

Val was a good thing for Hancock, he found amusement in her smile, especially the way she’d keep looking away whenever he caught her watching him for too long. He had to admit that maybe mentioning those impure thoughts of his to Val may have affected her worse than he first thought. It sure was entertaining though to get a rise out of Val.

Hancock’s porous cheeks pulled in as he sucked in a deep inhale of smoke. Watching the woman infront of him as she walked.  
And for a moment he found himself thinking why would she ever stop to look at him? He had nothing to offer her. It was fleeting to see someone look past these scars and corpse like features. To Hancock a winning personality wasn’t a guarantee to a life with more than loneliness, despite how used to it he may be.

“Hey there’s something up ahead”

Hancock’s thoughts where pulled back into their depths when he heard Val call out.  
The ghoul lifted his head to view what she was pointing at just down the road. The fog had dissipated significantly, just enough to see that the objects in the distance had to be some kind of military check stop.

“ times like this I wish I had Reba .” Val said staring down the road.

  
“ I doubt there’s anyone there, we might aswell check it out since we are going that way.” Hancock added with a flick to his cigarette.

The swirling cluster of leaves caught in the rush of a breeze blew past the two as they waltzed past the chain link fence that really was no good for keeping anyone back. Surprising it was even still intact. Not like the military vehicle that was pulled off to the side the gravely road.  
The two encroached upon the site steadily, Hancock could quickly sum up that there wasn’t going to be much here. Looking at the state of the rusted and half dismantled power arm off to his right.

  
This spot was as lonely as anywhere else they had been today or anytime for that matter. The only thing that really gave anything in up lift was the military supply trunk under a metal guard post. Val quickly went over and propped the lid open. Her face didn’t change in express much when she saw there was only a few rounds of shot gun ammunition which she was going to have to split with Hancock. The pair were both packing shot guns and a single 10 mm for this adventure today. Considering the low visibility it was better to blow your enemies away up close then even try and scope things out in nothing but complete white.

“Hancock”

“Yeah?” the ghoul replied.

“I found some shot gun shells… here” Val stated, divvying the shells between her and Hancock.  
Hancock glanced down to his hand, looking at two specific shells that had a label different than the rest. He Paused and looked up at Val.

  
“You should take one of these slugs” he said handing back one of the two slugs to the woman across from him, she had a puzzled face on her as she took the slug back. Looking at the ghoul with question.

“why?”

“these two are explosive shells, these babies pack a huge punch and you gotta feel that force atleast once, it’s a rush. Kinda like Psycho but without the heart attack” Hancock chuckled.

  
Val smiled as she took the single slug from her companion’s thin fingers.

  
“well now I can’t wait to try it when you put it like that” she said with cocky tone.

  
Hancock gave a smirk as both him and Val placed their shells into their pockets.  
The pit pat of wet droplets hitting cracked surfaces surrounded the figures as they looked up into the sky that faded into a gloomy shade of rich dark gray.  
Val took a deep inhale in as rain, cool air and cigarette smoke filled her lungs. They hadn’t notice the change in weather. But after 200 years of nuclear induced atmosphere, weather could be very unpredictable.

  
“it’s raining” Val commented sweetly, the drops hitting and staining her blackened forehead. The dark stains ran down her eye sockets and cheeks like black tears.

  
Hancock glanced back down to the small woman infront of him as her mossy eyes met contact with his shadowy ones.  
He found himself in a moment, looking at the dark stains on Val’s face that pronounced her hollow cheeks.  
This moment seemed like a length of time but was merely held up in a few seconds, just a few seconds enough for Val to feel that pitted awkwardness bunch up in her gut again. But she swore she saw that same knotting in Hancock’s emotion aswell. But for him it looked alittle different then how she showed it. For the ghoul he gauged it differently but similarly to his soft skinned companion. Hancock felt a sink in his stomach when Val turned away from him to continue down the road.

“ come, let’s go it’s gonna get dark soon…” Val said looking back at Hancock who stood there with an air of emptiness.  
She felt and saw it clearly but she said nothing more. What could she say? So she waited for the ghoul to follow her lead.  
Hancock pulled himself from his spot on the road and followed the woman downhill.

  
<oooooo00000OOOO00000oooooo>

  
The rain was falling in a consistent curtain that gave everything a gloss, bring forth detail that was otherwise dull and gritty.  
a gray water fall flowed from a crumbled overpass above the travelling pairs heads. Hitting the large slab of concrete and rebar that was resting atop of the hood of a large oil truck.  
Hancock kept his narrow shoulders in his neck as he tried to cover the remainder of his smoke from the rain with his tricorner. It was a feudal attempt at that as the ghoul had taken little notice in spots that were soaking up the water and dousing the embers of his smoke. No the ghoul was too caught up in his thoughts. Worse than Val did most times. This time he found himself caught in thought similar to earlier but now it was bugging him worse than he cared to allow.

  
The ghoul let out a small growl of distaste that earned him quick hushing from the woman infront of him. Hancock lightened up from his thoughts to his companion who now had taken a more covert position beside the truck.  
Val slung her combat shotgun off her shoulder, gripping it tightly and ready. Hancock didn’t hesitate and followed with his friends actions and moved himself up to Val’s side, who was staring off at the large factory styled building just a few hundred feet from their location.

  
“what do you see?” Hancock asked quietly through the hiss of the rain. tossing his soaked cigarette to the ground.

Val swayed her head to the side, unsure.

  
“I see figures moving up ahead, along side the building…there” she uttered, pointing southward.

  
The ghoul observed for a moment before tugging on Val’s sleeve to follow him up and around the truck towards a steep slope that was peppered in burnt trees, providing enough cover from the figures moving in the fading mist.

  
“shit..” Val hissed quietly as her foot slipped in a slick of mud on the slant of the hill, using a tree to keep herself up with a hand while still trying to grip her heavy gun in the other. Trying to keep up with the ghouls pace.

  
Hancock traversed the slope well and found rest along side a large tree that was just a small distance from the factory doors. Narrowing his eyes he could see a small cluster of movement infront of those doors. But day light was fading fast and yet again visibility was a hindrance. But Hancock was sure he knew what he was looking at.  
Pulling his eyes from the door he looked down to the woman who was not dealing with the terrain as well as him. Hancock gestured for Val to get to him quickly, he was pretty sure what was at those doors could tell Val might be there.  
Val looked off to her side briefly to judge what was there as she tried to move quickly and silently to Hancock who was beginning to show a concerned look to the situation. It wasn’t till Val’s slip up in footing again had Hancock’s face turn for grim as he watched his companion take a slide down the muddy slope. Branches snapping audibly.

  
Val did her best to not shout “shit!” as she slid down with little control right into a dead and spiny bush just rimming the road between the factory and the slope.  
Both Hancock and Val froze at how close she was to the mass moving frantically in the darkness and fog.  
Frozen in place Val didn’t know if she should make an attempt to move or stay put. The noises that were festering out of the movement before her was enough to make her so confused in her position.

  
The wet slopping sounds that penetrated through the rain to her ears was not the same wet noises the rain was producing and it made her stomach twist with the accompanied with gnashing and sudden inhales and exhales between wet snaps and breaks.  
Hancock’s jaw was clenched tightly in his skull as he watched the scene below him. Torn as to whether he should get up and get to his companions aid and possibly bring all the attention directly to both of them or stay put and hope that Val could get herself out of harm’s way on her own. Just as Hancock’s mind began to race his heart took a leap in his chest when a humanoid figure rose up from the cluster and turned to look in the vary direction Val was caught in.  
Val’s voice hitched in her throat to the figure standing up, sniffing the air in rapid in takes. Darting its misshapen head in all directions. Trying to pick up a scent.

  
She wanted to call to Hancock for help, but she was so caught in a flurry of shock confusion and fear, she could only remain under the brambles of the bush that covered her like a skeletal cage from the figure that had now moved from the wriggling mass to just a few feet away from her. Still it sniffed the air and between the sounds of wet sifting the gurgling and rasp of breathing it was looming just over her.  
It was as clear to Val what she was caught under as it was as clear to the ghoul above who knew the whole time what was down by those doors. It wasn’t till the bright and blinding flash of the security light that removed all doubt for both parties.

  
There by the doors that read Poseidon Energy, was a small horde of 4 feral ghouls huddle around closely frantically moving their decaying hands from their mouth to whatever it was they surrounded. That in short time was answered when one rather sickly and naked one shuffled over just enough from the light for Val to make out between the branches that it was clearly a person that lay there.  
No longer alive but crudely gouged open at the abdomen. A man dressed in raider garb.  
Val slowly raised her view from the body in the process of being consumed up to Hancock who’s eyes were fixed on her and that ghoul who had not yet backed off from the bush.  
Hancock was frozen, fixed and calculating the situation. Val was confused as she looked at the ghouls face who was stark stuck on her, she couldn’t tell if he was going to come help, stay put or run.  
Just as it looked like Hancock was going to make a move he retracted back when the feral suddenly turned its necrotic head back to the body that was being hoarded over and ran frantically back to continue feasting.

  
Hancock didn’t waver and shot a quick glance to Val for her to quickly make her move now and get out of there.  
Val didn’t waste a moment and with haste she rose to her feet and scampered to her companions side. Hancock gripped Val’s arm tightly as he lead her away from the danger up the slope. The force he was pulling her with was making her lose footing again.

  
“H-Hancock.. ugh it’s okay we’re far enough… you can let go!” Val said retracting her arm back from the ghouls vice like grip.  
Hancock turned suddenly to face Val with piercing black eyes. Val looked up at the ghoul with caution and confusion. She knew what just happened was a very dangerous situation but Hancock never gave a response like that to her before. Heck he never looked at her that sharply before. This was unsettling for her, she couldn’t place his emotions and that made her unsure.

  
“what’s wrong?...” she asked looking up in question to Hancock as he curled his bony hand back into himself.

He blinked, looking at Val’s concerned and worrying expression.  
“ I’m sorry, I needed to get you away from those ferals …. ” he uttered despondently to her. The tone in his voice had changed , it was a tone Val hadn’t heard come from Hancock. It was concerning and confusing even more, she didn’t have much to say in return to the ghoul, either then a gaze that was thankful but still hinted at questioning.

  
“a death by ferals can be worse than most other forms of death in this world. I didn’t think you wanted to experience that, it’s not a pleasant thing, even for a spectator…” Hancock’s voice hung on a rasp.

The concern was apparent in the pause of his words, Val understood clearly what was going through Hancock’s mind while she was caught under that bush. To that her face softened to Hancock’s words.

  
“I got away, and I’m here with you now. Alive and kicking” Val chimed sweetly to Hancock, placing a firm assuring hand on the ghouls slender shoulder, Giving him a softened, light smile.

  
The ghouls eyes didn’t seem so heavily darkened anymore when he looked down at her smile and gave one back faintly as Val pulled away to go south ward down the dirt path.

  
“come, there’s a motel just down the way here, maybe we might find what we’re finally scaving for.” Val said with optimism.  
Val turned her back to the ghoul as she walked away, gun in hand. Yet as she walked she pondered over the ghouls reaction to the situation. It was probably going to be a mind numbing course of thought that was going to be tedium ad nauseam in no time.

  
Already she found herself cycling through her thoughts and as much she wanted to shove it aside and pay more direct attention to now, it was proving difficult.  
Val and Hancock arrived beside the motel. The rain had not let up by now, as Val’s hair dripped continuously. Her body shivered to the ice drops that needle her pale skin. The drops audible on her metal chest plate. Scaving in wet and cold weather was hard especially at night. The temperature dropped considerably compared to the day light hours. Val could hear Hancock occasionally clear his sinuses of water. The ghoul kept his head tilted down enough to use his tricorner to block most of the rain.

  
Val was concerned about the trek back to the Marina this late into the evening. The weather did not show like it was going to give up anytime soon and she didn’t want to turn back so soon with hardly anything to show for it.  
Val proceeded onward up to the motel.

The large portion of the building was open to the environment due to a large pickup truck partially driven into the main suite. Val took pause to the trash can fire that was burning in the corner near a makeshift chem table beside the doorway into the motel suit.

“somethings not right about this place…” Hancock warned, coming up beside Val.

  
Val gripped her shot gun tighter as both her and Hancock cautiously walked under the awning. Inspecting the scene before them.

  
“there was a scuffle here…and people” Hancock said looking at the trash and junk strewn across the wet ground accompanied by wet foot prints.

  
“there’s blood on the ground… and up the walls…” Val added to Hancock’s observations.

  
“where are the people?”

  
“who knows… whatever they were doing here they were making chems, might have used this spot as an outpost.” Hancock replied, picking up a few inhalers of Jet of an old and molding mattress in the demolished suit. The ghoul shoved the chems into his pocket quickly.

  
Val noticed a set of stairs going up onto the roof, whilst Hancock was looking around for items of use she went up the wet metal steps.  
A top the roof she looked around to see terrain around them, though in the dark that was hard, but she could make out the security light at the Poseidon energy plant. She turned her head southwards. Eyeing a set of buildings that were rather close by.

  
“Val!?” Hancock called up to the woman.

  
“we should go, this place just doesn’t have a very good vibe, if ya feel me?”

  
“there’s a bunch of buildings just over there we can try and find some cover till morning over there” she replied back to her ghoul companion as she came back down the stairs.

  
“ i gotta feeling that guy those ferals were gnawing on was from here.” He said tossing his shotgun over his shoulder.

  
“what makes you think that?” she asked looking up at Hancock.

  
“ there’s a streak of blood leading around the corner in the direction we just came from…. Plus raiders would be the only people with balls big enough to be out here making chems.” Hancock explained.

  
“ then where is the rest of them?” she asked looking around the suite.

  
“I have no clue, but something is telling me we should leave, something happened here.”

  
Hancock placed his hand firmly on Val’s back and gently pushed her to leave with him out of the building. Val didn’t protest and stepped back onto the road.

  
“let’s go to those buildings we might find a place to stay for a few hours.” Val gestured with her shot gun in the direction of the buildings.  
At first Hancock didn’t follow right away, he was going to protest heading back to the Marina but held his tongue. He followed Val’s lead.

  
Picking up in gusts, the wind got harsher and stronger but not completely unbearable. Hancock looked off to his left as they entered the street. The silhouette of horribly demolished buildings edged the end of the street. Leaning on a slope that had fallen into the lake. Hancock pondered the scene back at the motel, it just bugged him in the wrong way, something was off. That much blood on the floor and walls with no bodies seemed very similar to a super mutant raid. But why would super mutants be all the way out here? There was hardly anyone out here and if food was the motive then for sure there would be little reason for mutants to be this far south. Hancock thought hard as he followed behind Val. Hancock’s expression turned rather sour when a flurry of wind hit his bare nostrils with hot foul pungent odour that made him stop.

  
“Hold up” Hancock said quickly and quietly, pulling Val Back behind him just as she approached an open door way.

  
“what? What’s wrong…. Oh augh, that smell!” she said sharply, blocking her nose with her wrist as her face contorted into a sour expression.

  
“sshhhh!” the ghoul hushed, gesturing with a bony finger for Val to stay silent.

Hancock waited while Val watched the ghoul, gauging for a response.

  
“I don’t hear anything…” he said hushed under a dry voice.

  
Val cocked her head to the side, she didn’t say anything but followed the tall ghoul into the door way.  
Already Hancock was having trouble with what he was seeing. A familiar glow creped into the ruin of an old antique shop that was missing large portions of wall that lay across the ground like an explosion or something had barrelled through them.  
The ghoul hastily moved up against a wall just under a blown out window, again he gestured for Val to stay behind him. Val wanted to ask Hancock what he was being so covert for, but then again that smell was enough to have her wanting to keep cover too.  
The ghoul dared to peek around the corner to take in any detail to analyse the situation.

  
Hancock’s black eyes scanned the scenery before him. The area consisted of a square formed by the buildings around, it was clear to see that this was a strong hold or outpost. It was clear to see to the ghoul that it was exactly what he speculated. A large barrel sitting over concrete blocks that were piled up just so that a fire could be built underneath into a make shift cooking station. Large and sopping meat bags hung from the lamp posts and trees by rusty chains. These bags where what produced much of the unpleasant odour the pair encountered. Hancock thought it strange that Super mutants where all the way out here, but the massive pale green bodies that were strewn across the area only just confirmed it further for the ghoul that he was right, no matter how unbelievable it was.  
The ghoul retracted from the window and looked down at the woman by his side who was looking up at him for a response.

  
“super mutants….. but their dead” he said quietly.

“super mutants? “ Val said back with some disbelief.

  
Hancock lowered his shot gun, coming off the wall he stepped out of the antique shop and cautiously into the square followed by Val who scanned the scene with wary eyes.  
The mutants had built up walls around the square with gates on two major sides. One near an old steeple that was just a butcher house of rotting flesh complete with bloody re-bar sticking up out of the ground.  
This place was a mess a complete slaughter house, yet it looked like the super mutants where victims to the slaughter this time.  
Pools of red blood were diluting with rain and mud. The whole place was a complete massacre and everything just seemed so far off from what they both were used to seeing. This was completely weird. Weird wasn’t even the word Hancock would use to describe this.

  
“Hancock look at the tree…” Val said as she stepped up to the thick stump that splintered, burning from the flames that hiss and cracked to the rain that pelted it repeatedly.  
Something was off with the log that lay across the muddy earth. She narrowed her eyes to the long gouges that carved the tree open.

  
“these marking…. I’ve seen them before…” Val said with pause.

  
“where? What happened?” he said looking to the woman for a clear answer.

“ I’ve seen these…. At Concord.”  
It hit her.  
Val’s ears burned to the sound that hit her in the gut as hard as the realization of what those gouges were. The low guttural growl had the pair slowly turn to their right. Facing Hulking mass of scales that covered large and powerful muscles that twitched and flexed as piercing orange eyes starred at the two dwarfed forms in front of it.

  
Val’s eyes widen sharply as her mind tried to toss together the familiar shapes that made up this monstrosity. Everything was slow. The rain seemed slow, her breathing seemed to come to a complete stop as the ice cold pitted feeling in her gut took hold.  
How could they not have seen it as they entered the square? How could something so big not even make any noise to have alerted Hancock and her to it’s presence. And yet here it was standing infront of them, in front of the steeple cemetery like a demon from hell.  
It’s orange eyes reflected the heat of the fire burning. Mouth full of short but sharp blood stained teeth hung open just enough for it’s forked tongue to slither out and whip the air several times. Enough times to know that Hancock and Val were to fall prey to the beast.

  
“Stay behind me!” Hancock shouted with a hiss, pushing Val behind him firmly when those claws began to twitch like a cat ready to pounce.  
As quickly as Hancock raised up his double barrel shot gun the Deathclaw Came down with a hand full of sickle like claws. Gunshot and roars echoed in the air as both assaults missed as Hancock threw his weight into the woman behind him onto the ground, dodging what would have been a devastating blow to the pair. Mud and dirt shot up into the air from the missed strike from the Deathclaw.

Val had little time to register the first blow, but she knew Hancock was ontop of her she barely had time to assess what happened when she felt the back of her leather jacket get tugged on forcefully, trying to lift her small frame off the cold earth.

  
“GO RUN!!” was all she could gather together as she went with the force of Hancock pulling her up. Repeatedly her footing slipped through the muddled bloody surface.  
Val launched her body forward with all her force. Adrenaline coursing through her system so fast and hard she felt dizzy from it.  
It was only a matter of time before the next wide swing was going to catch one of them, in a split second they found themselves running in separate direction from each other. Hancock’s back was already turned as he leapt for the diner to his direct left. The ghoul took a sudden dive onto the hard wood floor expecting the gripping claws of the beast to be grasping at him, but the snarls fell short to his ears as he watched the beast not even make an attempts to go after him. Instead Hancock was left to witness the mutation bounding across the square after his companion.

  
“Val! Run!” Hancock screamed from inside the Diner.

Val swore she felt the forceful passing of wind on her neck from an attempted swing by the deathclaw as she threw her body into the shop across from the diner Hancock was taking cover in.  
Val skid across the dusty floor just out of the reach of the long claws that swung back and forth wildly. Val rolled onto her back, raising her combat shot gun up and aiming for the arm that was shoulder deep into the doorway.  
BLANG! BLANG!!  
Shots and angered roars rung through the air to Hancock’s ears who scrambled up the broken stair way to try and get a better shot from where he was.

  
“ah, shit!” Val hissed as she shuffled backwards against the cold floor till her back hit a metal shelf that was pushed up against the window. The only way that thing was getting in here was through the door she flew through, that unfortunately was the only way out aswell. Val’s heart was in her throat, beating like a drum in her ears. She gripped her shot gun harder as she watched the Deathclaw try and push it’s huge horns into the doorway, anything to get those teeth closer to tearing into the warm flesh that was pushed up into the corner of the shop.

  
Val’s eyes widen and her breath hitched when she saw the ceiling above begin to crumble and buckle to the force of the Deathclaws mass pushing relentlessly into the structure. Only would it back off to try a different tactic of getting in, even then Val knew it was a matter of time before that thing pushed it’s way past the door frame.  
She shuffled on her hands and knees to the counter just out of reach from the swiping claws that searched for her.

Through the growls and snarls she frantically shot drawers open, tossing papers to the floor, hoping to find an explosive or something that would get this thing to back off just enough for her to make a break for the diner Hancock was in.  
Hancock threw his hands up to the side of his head in dismay, gritting his teeth hard enough it was making his ears ring. He was going to watch this thing barrel that wall in like a locomotive and drag Val out and tear her apart infront of his eyes.

  
“ I can’t just stand here, I can’t just watch this….. I can’t.. not like before” he hissed to himself, distressed by the sight he was witnessing.

Val’s breathing was rapid as she threw everything she found on the shelves to the ground. There was nothing she could use to get this thing to back off. Her slugs were not enough to get the Deathclaw to retreat, they were only good enough to piss it off more.  
Her eyes closed as she backed against the wall. Slumping her weight to the floor as she watched the door frame cave in more and more each time the mass put strain on the structure. On more push and that would be it.  
Val’s stomach wrenched as she heard the snort and snarls of the Deathclaw get more frantic. That monstrosity knew it was close to getting it’s prey and it let Val knew that it was excited.  
She took a deep breath in before raising her head up to look at the beast when it’s frame passed that door, she was just waiting. But she would go down facing her death. Not hiding or looking away like a coward.  
BLANG! BLANG!

Shots ripped through the air while a pained screeched echoed loudly. Val wasn’t expecting that next. The Deathclaw backed away from the door to face the assaulter. Val looked passed the hulking body of the beast to see Hancock reloading his shot gun, standing out in the open.

  
“Hancock!... get outta here!!!” she shouted from inside the shop.  
Hancock didn’t look past the beast. Not once, his eyes remained glued to his opponent who was staring him down. Mouth agape and hands spread wide with claws at the ready to claim the ghoul’s life.  
Hancock raised his gun up, looking down the sights, ready for the Deathclaws next move.

  
“Come on you son of a bitch!” he shouted fiercely, teeth bared.  
Lunging forward, the Deathclaw threw all it’s weight into one large sweeping motion of it’s long arm to catch Hancock in it’s claws.  
But the beast failed to land it’s blow down on the ghoul when two well placed blast peppered the leathery face of the oversized lizard. Completely stopping the beast from landing it’s swing. Instead it threw a large clawed hand over it’s face in pain as blood dropped of the sharp detail of it’s face to the earth. Letting out a long and pained wail, Hancock took the opportunity to reload his gun. Putting distance between him and the Deathclaw. The ghoul bounded over the log and swung around in a flurry of red fabric to face the enemy, gun at the ready.  
Pulling back from it’s pain and throwing a large hand onto the remaining tree, the scaled mutation forcefully pushed the tree back and out of the earth, letting out a roar of anger to the ghoul who had the upper hand.  
Hancock leered down the sights of his gun at the beast which seemed to second guess a full frontal attack.

  
“come on… atleast try” Hancock hissed, not wavering for a moment.  
The beasts nostrils flared before it lunged forward to try and snuff the ghoul. But Hancock was faster and rolled safely out of the way, bounding onto his feet and firing another two shots into the creatures back, to which it hissed out in pain as the rounds buried themselves into the thick dark hide.

  
With haste the ghoul drew out another two rounds and dropped the barrel to feed the ammunition into the gun. Snapping the lock shut, he threw the barrel up but was met with a full back hand swing that sent the ghoul flying into a tall wooden fence as a shot from his barrel rang through the air.  
Hancock felt all the air in his lungs get forced out suddenly when his back collided with the wall. There was little time to think as the ghoul hit the ground as another furious swing completely wiped out the fence in one hit, showering Hancock with splinters.  
Val’s eyes widen to the whole scene she was witnessing unfold infront of her. It all was happening so fast she didn’t know where she could jump in to help Hancock. Every time she thought she saw an opening it was slammed shut by a lunge or a swing from the Deathclaw or a dodge and blast from Hancock who was just barely fending off the beast.

  
There had to be something she could do, she was about to witness the death of her friend. She was going to lose him if she didn’t intervene now. She couldn’t cope with that, just the thought alone almost had her rimming on tears. She had watched her husband die infront of her eyes, her baby torn from his dying grip. All the thoughts and emotions that swelled in her. The “what if’s” or “what might have been” passed through her like a truck hitting a brick wall. She couldn’t bear to lose someone who gave her the same level of security and comfort again.  
Time seemed to slow again as she raced all her memories into her head, and whilst all the despair that flashed through her eyes, she found her hand reaching for one thing that just might save them.

Hancock didn’t know if he had a second wind in him, that blow into the fence took most of the strength he had right out of him. He was running on fumes and he didn’t know if he was going to be able to keep this up for long as he continued to dodge swing and swipe repeatedly.  
Hancock glanced up a sudden and heavy hand came down just infront of him, almost grazing his coat.  
That was to close, the next one might be the final one. Hancock sprang passed the hulking beast. Rolling onto the wet ground and rebounding onto his feet, quickly raising up his gun to take fire, but a hooked claw curled under the barrels and with one swift motion Hancock felt the gun lift out of his grip with such force it made his wrists shoot with pain. He had no choice but to let go of the gun as he watched it fly up into the dark and out of sight.  
There was pause from the ghoul watching his gun fly out of his hands to him staring down the Deathclaw, whose eyes burned brightly. Hancock knew he was staring the devil in the face at that moment. And one more second that would be it.  
Hancock drew a long breath. The beast rose up on its feet, raising it’s left arm up. readying to cast down the killing blow onto the ghoul.

“guess this is goodbye”  
Hancock shut his dark eyes, ready to feel the claws and teeth pierce into him, just as quickly as he closed his eyes he shot them open when he felt the weight and force of something ramming into him from the right. Hancock only caught a glimpse of Val’s face as he fell to the earth. Everything was slow again, as Hancock recovered from the fall to the ground he looked up to see Val standing over him, her back to the beast who’s clawed hand was casting down to the woman who shoved him out of range.

  
“VAL!!”  
Val looked up just as the clawed death came sweeping down onto her.  
For a moment she wasn’t sure what happened. All that filled her vision was white, then red and as that faded out she could see the ground, but just barely. Then she could see the Deathclaw lunge at her with full force. And in that moment she could only do what instinct drover her to do.

  
A twitch of the finger.

  
Cold metal.

  
A bright fiery light.

  
Screaming.

  
Heavy.

  
Black.

  
All these things in a matter of seconds.  
Val felt something wet and warm flowing onto her face and torso as her vision faded black quickly. The rain washing down onto her.

Hancock opened his eyes, lowering the arm he used to shield himself from the blast of the explosive round that went off infront of him. His ears still rung painfully from the blast. The ghoul groaned in pain as he sat up off the drenched and icy pavement to look at the sight before him.  
At first Hancock didn’t even move, he just stared. The come down of adrenaline had him frozen to what he was looking at. He hardly even could put together what was on the ground infront of him.  
As sudden as a gun shot he rose to his feet.

  
“Jesus Christ!... Val!!? Val!!?” Hancock shouted in shock.  
He rushed over to the massive leathery carcass that lay across the street. The ghouls boots slipped in the blood that was pooling up quickly around the bodies.  
Hancock dropped to a knee when he saw that Val was pinned under the heavy corpse of the now deceased Deathclaw. It’s neck blown open just under the chin. A steady fall of blood was flowing down onto the woman who was caught under the weight.

  
“ why?..why would you fucking do that!?” Hancock hissed, wrapping his arms under Val’s small shoulders. Pulling with the last of his strength to get her out from under the carcass.  
His foot slipped in the blood as he fell back onto the ground with Val in his lap. Quickly he sat back up and looked down at the woman who seemed for all the right words, dead. The ghoul tried his best in the dim light to see what injuries she had sustained. Placing his fingers on her pale neck for a pulse. Faint barely there.

  
With the last light of the fire that burned from the stump Hancock could easily see what injuries Val had taken. Down the left side of her pale face were three long gouges that bled profusely onto Hancock’s hands as he held her face between them.

  
“god.. Val…. Look…just look at what you’ve done… why would you do something so stupid..” he hissed as his voice broke between words.  
The ghoul sat in the rain as it came down harder than ever. The fire had extinguished completely now, leaving the ghoul in the dark and cold.  
An all too familiar feeling began to well in Hancock as he looked about the scene then back down to the woman whose blood mixed in with the grease that ran off her forehead. A feeling all too similar to when he watched the ghouls of diamond be condemned to ruins, the same feeling he had when Vic ran Goodneighbour. All that failure came boiling back to the surface. He swore he would never feel like this again yet here he was. With that horrible miserable feeling sinking into him.  
Here he was sitting in the dark with blood on his hands. And for all he could do he was losing it all. It may have been at that moment that Hancock was going to throw in the towel and call it quits he looked down at Val one more time.

  
“dammit, don’t you know not to give up on a good thing?” His voice cracked as he shut his blackened eyes.

The wind howled, becoming even more icy.  
Silence.

“Hancock?...”  
A faint voice asked for him.

The ghoul opened his eyes to see a single dark green one looking back up at him. At first the ghoul thought he had finally lost it. He had to be imagining that she was looking back up at him. Her smile was too perfect for someone who looked dead just seconds ago.

  
“you were right…” she uttered quietly.  
The ghoul paused and looked at Val questioningly.

  
“ about what?..”

“ those babies do pack a punch… what a rush.” Val smiled softly up to the ghoul who watched her closely yet returning a fond smile.

Hancock was at a loss for words. He didn’t know if he was looking at Val for sure. He had to be. She looked very much alive despite the deathly scars that ran down her face.  
Hancock started chuckling, it could have turned into a much bigger boast of laughter but he held back his urge to be hysterical. Everything was seemingly turning to out to be okay. Till Val raised her hand up to her face.  
The ghouls bright face began to grow colder as he watched the woman in his lap reach to touch the bloodied mess that was the left side of her face.

  
“H-Hancock?.... i…I can’t feel the left side of my face…i-I can’t see!” she sputtered out shaking as she looked at her bloody hand.

  
“shhh, you’ll be fine.. j-just breath..” was all Hancock could say as he gripped her hand tightly.

  
He scanned up and down her body, reaching into Val’s hip pouch for that stimpak she found earlier.  
The ghoul gave out a breath of relief when he felt the metal shaft touch his fingers. Quickly he pulled out the syringe.

  
“this might sting, bear with me..” he said as he inserted the needle into the gaping gouge that ran straight over Val’s left eye. Watching to see if any tissue was beginning to knit together. There was little effect on the wound as only some of the bleeding slowed, but the gash remained as wide as ever.

  
“shit!” Hancock cursed, throwing the syringe to the side. Must have been a hand made stimpak as it did little to aid the woman who was beginning to shake from the cold and come down of adrenaline.

  
“Hancock… things are… fading.. I can’t…” Val tried to protest her distress but could hardly finish her sentence as shock set in.  
Hancock’s obsidian eyes widen as he watched his companion slip in and out of consciousness.

  
Quickly he rose to his feet. Hoisting the woman up beside him. Hancock was going to have to haul her back to the Marina, it was the closest place that he could get her if Hancock had any hope in trying to help Val.

  
“You’re going to have to hold on, stay awake Val. I’m going to make sure you get through this.”  
Hancock slung Val’s shot gun unto his shoulder. Scooping the woman up into his long slender arms.  
Hancock wasn’t about to give up on everything yet. There was still a chance he could help her, possibly save her eye. The ghoul couldn’t tell how bad that damage might be.  
Amongst the flurry of wind and rain the ghoul walked out of the square into the wet streets with the woman in his arms.  
A hollow howl of wind chased behind the ghoul as he hasted back north with the last of his energy  
The ghoul was not about to lose everything to the darkness.  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Final

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the final chapter to Scars like mine.  
> WARNING SEXUAL CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER, NO LIKE NO READ.

Cold.

…

So cold.

  


Stiff, numb.. even moist but still cold. It was like a death, but somehow still sleeping. Or, just waking up. could still be dreaming but appears to be reality.

Looking out a pane of frosted glass, there’s nothing but silence to be broken by the breathing that was encapsulated in frozen metal. Green weary eyes gaze forward to the similar metal capsule that held so much meaning and life.

These eyes were beginning to wake up to the actual reality of consciousness. Her mind processed quickly. She looked wide eyed to the cryo chamber in front of her. Inside she could just see the face of her husband, soundly sleeping in stasis.

Her eyes peered down, to her infant son safely cradled in his arms.

All seemed to be fine but why was she awake? There had to be something going on.

Just as the woman began to look around the chamber for a release, her eyes darted to the movement of two figures stepping into view.

“ this is the one, Here”

A female voice said as the person stepped into view.

The hazard suit this woman was wearing didn’t look Vault tec, it didn’t take much now for Val’s stomach to twist, whether it was the stasis side effects already setting in or her gut feeling something wasn’t right, the feeling only got worse when a man stepped into view.

Tall, balding and wearing armour that didn’t look like anything she had seen before. Everything now was looking completely wrong.

  


“open it” the male said in a heavy voice.

  


The cryo chamber hissed as the air compressed and released the heavy door, raising up to reveal her husband and her son to the two strangers that hadn’t taken a notice to Val at all.

Her husband took a sudden breath of air in as he leaned forward off his seat, still holding the baby he frantically looked around.

“i-is it over?... are we ok?” Val’s husband asked, looking to the woman in the Hazard suit.

“almost” the woman said, seemingly ignoring him as she reached out for the baby cradled in his arms.

The infant started crying almost immediately

“come here… come here baby…” the woman said in a hushed tone, but that didn’t seem to make Val’s husband anymore comforted as he pulled back from the woman.

  


“no, no wait, I’ve got him!” He protested, holding onto the infant.

  


“Let the boy go. I’m only gonna tell you once.” The man said raising up a large pistol. Pointed directly at Val’s husband.

  


Val’s eyes widen as she threw her fists onto the window repeatedly.

Still her husband didn’t let go of the child.

  


“I’m not giving you, shaun!” he shouted angrily.

  


BLANG!!

Val shot forward like a bullet from the mattress. Her heart racing and her ears pounding.

Her eyes tried to adjust to her surroundings quickly, but the shot of pain that raced from her eye sockets to her brain just made her fall back to the bed in the same amount of time.

Val’s curled into herself under the rough sheets that covered her bruised body from the chill air.

Everything hurt, her whole body was under assault from dull aches that hurt more then she wanted to realize.

All the pressure that was focused on her cranium was unbearable to the point she groaned out in pain.

Slowly Val tried to open her eyes to see where she was. She had blacked out. The last thing she could remember was looking up at Hancock’s forlorn expression in the cold falling rain.

This time she sat up again, the same amount of pain accompanied but she bore through it. Something wasn’t right however.

  


Half black?

…

She could only see partially, the other half was black, faded even. All on the left side.

She couldn’t see on the left side.

Frantically Val sat to her knees on the bed, bringing her hands up to her face and running them over for that familiar feeling.

Breathing heavily, but still unsure, everything felt fine, accept for the bulky feeling of cloth wrapped over her left eye. Val’s fingers ran over the bandaging, wet and throbbing, she looked at the slight staining on her finger tips.

It was blood.

Val moaned in pain once again as a wave of burning pain washed over the left side of her face.

“ god… what happened?” she hissed in pain.

The air was cold, the rain outside was hitting the tin roof loudly.

“this is the Marina…” she said to herself quietly, but yet still unsure of how she got here.

Val’s eyes scanned the rusted and broken walls that were repaired with pieces of wood and scraps of metal. The windows where all blown out and broken as she looked out to her right to the balcony that wrapped around the upper half of the boat house. The loft Val found herself resting in was dimly lit and fenced in with a walk way to the stairs that led down to the main floor.

  


“Hancock!?” she called for the ghoul, but no answer was returned.

Val began to feel a pit of worry set in her stomach when she received no reply. Everything was to quiet and with all the rain, wind and now lightening that started to break in the back ground, had the woman on suspicion.

It didn’t make her feel any better to see that her silenced 10 mm was right beside her bed.

Val picked the gun up in her hand, her arm aching from the weight as she gripped the fire arm.

“ _is Hancock even here?....”_ she thought to herself looking at the gun with dark eyes.

  


Val was torn between staying in her bed on the cold floor or getting up and looking for the ghoul down stairs, she didn’t want to try and peer over the fence to look down into the living space to see if he was passed out on the ruined couch, her head would feel like a ton of bricks if she did that and Val didn’t want to feel like shit anymore than she did now.

“ fuck…” she uttered to herself.

She sat on the bed for a moment.

“ _why wouldn’t Hancock be here? How did I even get back to the Marina, for that matter, what even happened that I ended up back here anyways?”_

Val really couldn’t piece together what happened before, or why she was back at the Marina. Last thing she could recall was that her and Hancock were out scaving for supplies to build the turrets. But something went wrong, Val could remember the feral ghouls, the road side motel and the antique shop.

There was a gap between looking up at Hancock in the rain and his deathly expression, but then she could remember the weight on her legs and the ringing in her ears. The bright fiery flash… and Claws.

The leathery face of hell that was the Deathclaw that threw itself at her flashed into her mind.

  


CLANG!

As quickly as the image entered her head the sound of something hitting the ground on the floor below her drew her back.

Val held her breath as she tried to assess whether she should leave the safety of her mattress or investigate the noise. After all she hadn’t ruled out that Hancock wasn’t here, that noise very well could have been him.

The woman paused for a moment before rolling her dark eyes in her head and reluctantly rising to her feet.

Bringing the old blanket with her she wrapped it around her thin shoulders that were hardly covered with a once white tank top that had been stained by sweat blood and dirt. Her legs still shock to her weight and the air, skin prickling to the air only covered by a pair of worn dirty green denim shorts.

Pistol in hand she quietly stepped onto the wet wooden boards in bare feet, with what vision she did have she couldn’t really see anything in the living room as she tried to peer downwards over the fence. Still she went down the cold metal stairs.

  


The lights weren’t even on down here as she looked past the broken window panes into the living room, halfway down the iron stairs.

Val tried to shuffle her bare feet across the floor as not to trip on any wiring or tools that may have been left out. The only thing that was giving her light was the periodic flash of lightening from the storm, even then it wasn’t enough when you could only see out of one eye.

Val rounded the door way that was sectioned off from the original entrance of the boat house, Hancock had built walls up sectioning a work space and the living room separate from the two doors on either side of the house. Val thought it weird that the green door was left wide open, but didn’t make a move to go close it. Her eyes could see containers on the floor in front of the coffee table that was circled by two worn down old couches.

Crouching down Val picked up, the heavy container. Just barely making out the label saying: Purified water.

Val picked the two other containers up and placed them back onto the table.

She pondered for a moment, scanning the room around her for anything out of the ordinary.

The cooking and weapons station wasn’t interrupted in anyway, the radio was off aswell everything seemed fine.

Val was going to head back upstairs till she saw a figure round the corner from the back storage room that was located under the vary stairs she traveled down.

  


“this is a pretty nice set up you got here…”

  


The voice was heavy and mischievous in tone and it made Val’s face twist with disdain. She didn’t recognize the voice for anyone she met before and for sure it wasn’t the ghoul she came seeking in the dark. She could barely make him out aswell, but by the shape of his armour he had to be nothing else but a raider. That was still just as bad, even if it wasn’t someone she knew.

“stay back! I’m armed!” she shouted raising up the 10 mm sharply.

  


Val did her best to hold the gun straight with one hand while she used her other hand to hold onto the blanket around her shoulders, but it was difficult not to shake from cold and weakness.

Something told Val that this guy saw that clearly.

“oh well you see, we are too” the raider said with suave, gesturing behind Val.

  


Val turned to look at what the raider was gesturing at but all that she was met with was a white flash of light sudden blunt pain and then Black.

  


<oooo00000OOOOOO00000oooo>

  


Rain was coming down heavily, the wind was pushing as lightening broke across the dark sky. The rain was audible off the glass lenses of the gas mask that was worn by a figure running down the road through the weather.

Coat torn and stitched together crudely with thick string and pieces of mismatched fabrics, the hood drawn up over head of the gasmask. Rucksack in hand the figures boots hit hard in a puddle sending the splash across the road’s already drenched surface.

  


Rushed and heavy breathing escaped out the side vents of the gas mask. The night was dark and visibility was at the worst but the bright lights that shown from the north where not that far outta range

But the figure only stopped when they hit the line of the ruins where the remains of the Boston city started, leaving the wilderness behind.

The droplets of rain where highlighted in the high powered lights that shown down on the open gates of Diamond city.

The masked figure let up on the haste when they saw the gates were so close. Quick footed, the figure approached the gates. Though their venture was halted when one diamond city security guard broke away from his co-worker to address the person who was quickly coming up to the gate from the rain.

  


“ ‘scuse me, but might I ask what your business is here?” the guard said with a heavy accent, holding his rifle close but non-threatening manner.

  


At first the figure didn’t answer back and seemed alittle befuddled to the rise in questions they were receiving.

“what’s with the questions? “ the masked figure answered back with a muffled but raspy tone.

  


The guard gave a slight pause when he heard the response from the traveller but proceeded with his original request.

“ I’m just doing my job, I wont ask again… what’s your business here?” the guard asked with a little more force in his tone, looking the drifter up and down, taking note in the large combat shot gun that was strapped to this persons shoulder.

  


“ I’m here for supplies, and I’m in abit of a hurry so if your done picking my ass” the voice growled heavily with much more rasp this time, that it made the guard step back for a sec. looking at the gas mask that now seemed to be more menacing than it should, the guard gestured for his superior to come over.

The masked figure watched as Diamond city security’s very own Danny Sullivan approached the two standing in the rain.

  


“alright what seems to be the problem here?” Danny said with a drawl, placing his hands on his hips.

  


“there is no problem, I’m just here to pick up supplies and leave, your Buddy here seems to have a problem with that.” The Traveller hissed with disdain.

  


Through the questions and hissing between the guard and the masked traveller, none had noticed the woman off to the side, standing by one of the guard post, with a smoke in hand watching the parties talk in the rain.

Piper watched Danny talk with this drifter for a few minutes now, it wasn’t uncommon for people to get questioned at the gates this late at night. But most times they would let people pass on through with little trouble. Clearly this was something new put up by the Mayor and if Piper had anything to say about it, this new rule wasn’t going to be in effect for very long.

  


Piper watched intently though when the guard leaned over to Danny and whispered something into Danny’s ear.

  


“Remove the gas mask and you can go through” Danny said to the Traveller.

  


At first the masked traveller didn’t say anything to the two guards, but their body language clearly spoke loudly that they weren’t happy with the request.

“remove your mask and you can enter the city” Danny address again.

  


“that isn’t necessary” the traveller replied back.

  


“sorry pal but it’s the Mayor’s orders. No one enters the city with their face covered, it’s a risk to the security of the whole city. The mask comes off and you can go in. if not.. then I’m afraid you’ll have to keep walking.”

  


There was a pause between the persons, but the traveller stepped back slowly.

  


“ Tell the Mayor to pull that stick out of his ass… if he can reach it…” the Masked traveller said in a deep and hissed tone. Turning, the figure walked from the guards, and the gate into the alley way.

  


Piper didn’t even have time to step up to the conversation to intervene as she watched the masked traveller walk down the alley way past her.

Looking up at the guards who now walked back to the dry cover of the gate to the traveller that walked with little haste. There was an air of despair as this person walked down the lonely alley way.

  


“tough break, huh?” Piper asked the traveller.

The masked person stopped for a moment before turning to look at the woman dressed in a worn red coat.

Piper gave a one sided smile staring the drifter up and down, trying to assess who they were. There was an unease going through her now, when the drifter walked up to her slowly. The hollowness of the masks lenses didn’t help with how she was feeling about this now.

“ you..” the traveller said to Piper with a softer voice then the they had used back at the gate.

“ what?..” Piper said with a brow raised, now totally uncertain of this whole thing.

“I need your Help” the drifter asked with some haste.

  


“okay whoa, hold on a sec, I’ll help you, but just tell me what the problem is first?” piper asked holding up her hands.

  


“ I need medical supplies, you’ll never guess who’s gotten hurt.” the traveller uttered out from behind the gas mask.

  


“ what? Whose gotten hurt? Why don’t you just remove that mask and get your supplies? What have you got to hide?” Piper asked questioning the person in front of her.

  


“ do I really need to explain this to you ?, you know they don’t let ghouls in diamond city” the drifter said with some annoyance.

Piper raised a brow to the drifter, still not sure as to what they meant.

  


The drifter dropped their head for a moment before pulling back the distressed and soaked hood, loosening the straps of the gas mask and pulling it away.

“ Hancock?” Piper questioned looking at the ghoul through the rain.

  


“ make sense now?” Hancock asked the reporter whose face went a little more cold.

  


“ oh god… I get it. What’s happened to Blue, Hancock? Tell me it’s not bad?” Piper asked gravely.

  


“ Bad? Bad isn’t the word I would use to describe what happened… look are you going to help me? Cuz I don’t have a lot of time to spare” the ghoul explained sharply.

“o-of course, what… what did you need?” Piper asked, there was worry in her voice.

Clearly Hancock was seeking help, and it was clear that it didn’t matter where it came from. Whatever happened to Blue must be serious. Piper wasn’t about to be the one person to turn their back like so many others did, even if it was the brother of the Mayor .

“ stimpaks… and med-x… anything to take care of a large wound”

Piper cringed to Hancock’s words, but she gave the ghoul an assuring nod.

  


“ don’t worry I got this, just hope doctor sun doesn’t mind the interruption at this hour” Piper chimed with reassurance to the ghoul who threw his rucksack to her.

Quickly Piper left the ghoul to the rain, making haste into Diamond city.

  


  


<oooo00000OOOOOO00000oooo>

  


The storm continued on. The icy hard rain beat down on the tin roof without end. A few small drops found their way into one of the open holes in the roof, plummeting down onto the bruised face of Val, whose eyes opened slowly. Yet again she found herself waking up from complete black, her face hurt more than it did when she first came too. Already Val was getting sick of this blacking out constantly.

Her view was some what more vertical then what she was used to. She was laying on the floor on her side, skin bare to the air and rain that dripped down periodically onto her white flesh.

The woman couldn’t help but shiver to the elements as she raised herself up to get a better look at what happened.

  


“well it looks like our little lady finally decided to wake up” that mischievous voice cooed out.

Val wanted to shoot up and turn to look directly at the raider that mocked her, but Val quickly found her hands to be bound behind her back, painfully too.

Val heard the heavy boots of the man come over to her and pick her up forcefully, pushing her aching body against the cold metal wall.

Val’s body went ridged when her skin made contact, giving the raider a glare as he went to take a seat on the worn red couch across from her. The raider could only chortle at the woman’s attempt to show no fear to him.

  


The man looked at Val very closely from across the room, pulling out a pack of smokes. Taking one between his darkened and callused fingers, lighting the bent smoke with a rusty old lighter.

“smoke?...” the man offered the woman across from him. She didn’t acknowledge him, keeping her bruised face turned to the left.

The raider saw clearly that Val was trying not to engage him in any manner. Val could tell perfectly that there was another person aside from her and the raider present in the building. Sounds of boxes and crates being rummaged through in the store room from which the raider across from her came from before Val got knocked to the floor. Or atleast she assumed that’s what happened considering how much the right side of her face throbbed, she must have been hit with a blunt object.

  


Val gave a slight turn in view to the raider who had now retracted the offered smoke back and into his ragged pant pocket.

“ that’s quiet the bandaging you got their missy, what? Had a bad run in with a Deathclaw?” The raider chuckled leaning forward, placing his elbows on his padded knees. An exhale of smoke curled out from his mouth as he blew the smoke directly into Val’s face. She didn’t react.

“ you don’t talk much do ya? That’s alright, you don’t need to talk for what we want ya for, hehehehe” the man said pushing his greasy black hair back, with a devilish smirk on his face.

Val tried not to react but she wanted to puke to the cold feeling welling in her gut.

Where was Hancock? There was no way just these two raiders took him down. Hancock was to skilled to have been bested by even this raider sitting in front of her. Though Val sized him up in comparison to herself, Val doubted she would be able to take him and his friend on in any manner. Hell she could hardly hold up her 10 mm. Val began to brow beat herself for not pulling the trigger the moment that guy stepped out from the storage room. But how was she supposed to know if that was Hancock or not.

  


“you guys will be sorry you stepped foot inhere “ she uttered out, not making eye contact with the raider.

  


“ and why is that? Is it because someone is coming to save you little lady?.... ain’t no one coming for you” the raider hissed out smoothly, eyes widening like a snake.

  


At first Val didn’t react to the man’s display, till Val’s eyes caught sight of the raider reaching under the couch and pulling out a familiar leather shape out from the darkness. The raider twirled it on his finger with a smile.

Val’s eyes widen as she put together the shape in her mind.

  


“this is a nice Hat, never knew the Mayor of Goodneighbour had such great taste.. in more than just clothing too” the raider inspected the hat closely and watched for the woman’s reaction to drop. Val tried her best to put up her front but she faltered just enough for the raider to grin wider. He knew he struck a nerve in the woman.

  


“ _there’s no way they got Hancock….right?”_

  


She pushed herself against the cold wall, looking at the raider who was now inspecting the distressed leather of the hat in the dark. Her hands twisted against the zip tie, pinching and cutting her soft wrists. Dragging her fingers across the floor, Val wanted to protest the sudden poke of sharpness she found, but didn’t when she realized that a sharp nail was protruding through the floor board just enough that she could grind the ties over and hopefully cut herself loose.

  


With jerking motions back and forth the woman tried to silently snap through her binds. It was lucky that there was little light either then the raiders smoke and the lightening that broke through once in awhile.

  


“Makes me wonder what kind of taste in women he has too?”

  


Val stopped working on her binds the moment the raider opened his mouth, she leered at him with her one bare eye.

  


“excuse me?...” she said warily.

  


The raider chuckled to the woman’s response.

“ didn’t think a woman would bed down with someone that looked like they could be rotting at the bottom of a ditch.” The man replied.

Val was getting anxious now, this was looking like it was going to go down very badly. She quickly glanced over at the table, seeing her 10 mm resting atop the surface, she pulled her eyes back to the raider.

  


“ I have no idea what you’re talking about” she hissed out to the man whose eyes didn’t move from her.

  


“Please, don’t try and fool me missy, I heard it in your voice, I can see it in your eye… your Hancock’s little squeeze” the raider cooed, staring at Val with piercing blue eyes.

The woman’s breath hitched. But she felt there was loosening tension on her binds, one more good stroke and she would break them.

“I mean it really is to bad Hancock can’t save you, but I assure you, we are just as much fun as that zombie” he purred, getting up from his seat, dropping the tricorner to the cushion.

  


Val quickly jerked her wrist up one more time.

SNAP!

The tie broke, just in time too. Her heart was beginning to beat heavily, it was making her wounds throb more it was almost sickening, but she kept it together when the raider stepped up to her .

Hoisting her frame off the floor the raider easily stood her up onto her feet.

Val tried her best not to breath heavily, she didn’t want to smell the odour that was oozing off this creep. It was really hard not to gag.

  


“ come on little lady, why don’t you show me just what the Mayor of Goodneighbour was getting every night?” he chimed with rasp as the raider placed a firm grip on her shoulder.

  


Val shot her right fist up with all she had, connecting with the raider’s jaw. She could hear the snap of his lower jaw hitting his upper teeth.

The man was hit with a stagger as Val dove for the 10 mm on the table top.

She wrapped her fingers around the grip tightly, she swung around quickly to take aim and blow the raider away but the force of a heavy object that was the raider’s foot swung up and launched the pistol clean out of Val’s hands.

The fire arm landed on the awning of the work station, out of reach to both parties.

Val threw her eyes to the raider who was clearly pissed at the sudden turn on tables and went to lunge for Val who stepped back quickly out of reach but miss placed her footing and fell backwards over the adjacent couch. Hitting the hard floor.

“ you little bitch!” the raider cursed as he leapt over the table to try and snag Val in his grip. She rolled back and out of the way, quickly rushing up to her feet. It was little time that the accompanying raider who was in the storage room came running out to aid the other man. She couldn’t see this guy’s face. Covered in a burlap hood the man seemed to have little trouble seeing Val through the sloppily cut holes.

  


Cursing was all that went through her mind. That green door was her only exit out of here and she was pinned between two raiders.

Still she made an attempt to leap for the door knob, to which the hooded raider dove for her with a fist. Val ducked and swung out of reach of the man. She was going to make her way for the stairs. Maybe she could climb over the balcony and run, through the rain, the storm, all the way to diamond city. There was little else of a plan of action going through her mind, but it flew clean out when she was met with a blunt force of a fist slamming her down.

  


Val felt all her weight fly to the ground, hitting the coffee table before meeting the cold floor.

“ fucking little bitch” the black haired raider growled as he wiped his mouth clean of blood.

He stood over the small woman who was laying on the floor, moaning in pain as she moved slowly.

Val felt her body gripped in searing pain from the rise in adrenaline her body felt again. Heart pounding head throbbing and stomach twisting. Her mind was stuck on all these three things. She couldn’t come up with a course of action from emotions that flooded her.

The worst part was that she didn’t know if Hancock was alive to help her. That longing question alone had her more scared than this whole situation. That fear only boiled more so when she felt the dark haired raider step over her body. She rolled onto her back with great pain to look up at the looming figure over her.

  


She could hardly make out a detail.

Till the lights flooded the room with an orange hue, only giving the woman some detail to take in.

By then both raiders had lifted their heads to look about the room at the sudden burst in lighting. The sound of a generator humming away through the storm was faint in the back ground.

  


“go check that out!” the man shouted to his hooded lesser with a sneer.

The hooded male didn’t hesitate and ran out the door to go inspect the generator.

“ I’m gonna fix you right, you little bitch” the male hissed as he fisted Val’s long dark Mohawk in his large hands.

  


“augh!!.. l-let go!!” she protested as the raider pulled her up onto her knees by her hair.

Val writhed at the continuation of pain that wrought through her tired body. She didn’t know what else to do. She literally had no other plan to try and escape this. Her mind drew a blank.

“ you’re going to apologize for the pain you’ve caused me” the man barked as his free hand found the button on his trousers. Prying the material loose, he pushed Val’s head closer to his crotch.

  


Val shut her eyes tightly as tears began to fester up, only adding to the stinging feeling in her face. This was it, this was as far as she was going to get. She really thought the Deathclaw was going to be the end of it all. But she lived through that and now of all things she was going to be used by this creep and more than likely left for dead. The whole thing seemed like a nightmare. And just like many things , she didn’t have any clue or closure as to what happened to Hancock.

As much as the woman wanted to fight the thought that this was her end, she gave in and lost all hope.

  


“ let her go” a heavy voice said, cutting through the hollow air.

  


The raider turned to face the commanding voice that interrupted his motives. expecting to see his fellow raider but instead was met with this masked drifter holding a large combat shot gun, aimed in the man’s very direction.

“ who the fuck are you!?” the raider screamed angrily to the unknown person standing in the living room.

  


“I said, let her go” the voice demanded, this time with more rasp in that growl.

  


Val tried her best to inspect the person standing there, who had halted the proceedings of the raider that still gripped her hair tightly. Val breathed heavy as she took notice to the shot gun in this persons hands.

The masked drifter cocked the shot gun firmly. Not moving an inch from their spot.

“ look I’d rather not have to shoot you and ruin the furnishings, so why don’t you just let the girl go and you get to walk with your life, I can’t say as much for your friend however… so what do ya say?” the drifter proposed, still steadfast with the shot gun in hand.

  


The raiders expression changed completely to the unknown drifters words, looking down at the woman who was trapped in his fists, he released the woman, to which she shuffled back against the couch. Taking the tricorner into her arms and holding it closely as she tried to watch the events with what vision she had left.

  


“ f-fine … i-I’ll leave and I wont come back, I swear!” the raider shouted, voice breaking in between words.

  


“ good” the drifter replied back, lowering the shot gun when the raider walked past them.

  


The raider quickly scurried out the door but didn’t make it far past when

BLANG!

an eruption of slurried gray matter spattered all over the wall past the door way.

  


Val jumped to the eruption of sound and sight, of the masked figures actions. This person seemed hardly phased by the whole thing as they turned to face the woman who was huddled in front of the red couch. Clutching the tricorner hat in her arms.

At first the drifter just paused, but then let down the heavy rucksack to the floor, before placing the shot gun off to the side, resting it up against the pillar.

The masked drifter approached the shaking girl on the floor, slowly, being careful as to not make a threatening gesture.

Val looked up at the gas mask that was peering down at her with large green eye. She hadn’t noticed the wrapping of her bandages was loose.

  


The woman sucked a breath of air in when the cold wet leather gloves touched her bare arms. Hoisting the small woman up, the masked drifter sat her on the faded red couch.

  


“ w-who are you?” she uttered out softly. Unsure of whom she may be speaking to.

  


the lenses of the mask seemed to look right through her. the leathered hand of the drifter found it’s way up to the right side of Val’s face, just softly touching her cheek before pulling away to remove the hood and mask.

  


Onyx orbs gazed down at a mossy green one that widen to the recognition of who they were looking back up at.

“ Hancock?... oh my god!” Val said breathlessly, rising up to her feet to throw her thin arms around the ghoul.

“My god Val… did they do anything to you?” Hancock said lowering his head and taking Val’s between his hands trying to inspect the bruising. The ghoul’s brow furrowed tightly to the sight of blood trickling down from under the bandaging.

Val smiled widely as she looked over the ghouls withered yet fine features of his face. Her smile quickly began to quiver when all her emotions sank back into place and with little time she found her good eye welling up with tears again.

“Hancock… I-I thought …i-.. i…” Val uttered between sniffles and tears. Holding onto the ghoul tightly, fisting his tricorner in her hands.

Hancock felt his heart give a hard thump when the woman held onto him tightly. Through anger and worry the warm feeling set in just like before.

The ghoul held onto the woman tightly.

“I can’t believe you are up and walking around, I was sure you would still be out by the time I got back with the meds.” Hancock worried as he observed Val’s damaged face. “ I surely didn’t think raiders would show up either” he added.

  


“ I’m just glad you are here, with me. Even with all that’s happened, I just want to relax now, and not dwell on it. This whole day has been a nightmare… ” Val drawled at the notion of recapping these whole events , Hancock could see that easily on her weary face.

“and then some…” Hancock stated.

The ghouls eyes moved from the woman’s to look down at the tricorner that was still clutched in Val’s trembling hands as she stroked a soft and smoothed portion of the brim with her thumb. Hancock knew she was more upset then she was showing now, despite the few fallen tears she did shed. The way she caressed that hat, even clutched it when she was curled up in front of the couch was more than a clear message to Hancock that his presence meant a great deal to her. If only she knew how much that was the same for him.

The ghoul slowly brought his boney hand up to the woman’s. gently running his rough fingers over her smooth hand. Taking hold of the tricorner’s brim as Val let go, giving it back to it’s rightful owner. Somehow to Val it felt like she was completing something. To her Hancock felt bare without his Tricorner. It just had the ghoul all over it, no one fit it better. Her smile didn’t fade when the ghoul placed the leather hat back onto his bare cranium.

“ thanks for keeping it safe for me” the ghoul said with care “ now, we should really get you taken care of”

Hancock smiled as he watched the woman give a slight giggle to his concerns.

The ghoul had longed to finally stop and take a much deserved break.

  


<oooo00000OOOOOO00000oooo>

  


There was long drawn out groan of relief as Hancock sat back on the couch. Having removed his drifter gear, back into his dull gray blue pants and yellowed blouse This was one comfort the ghoul had wanted along with a smoke and something to drink. But there was more to concern over then a fix of nicotine at the moment. The ghoul stared at the woman beside him, she hadn’t moved much. Despite the fact she showed relief and joy in the short time since Hancock had returned, the ghoul knew there was much on this woman’s mind.

“ come here, let me see the wound…” Hancock urged , pulling the woman over to him as he prepared to reach for the bandaging that was hardly sitting in place over Val’s wounded eye.

  


Val could only give a slight worrisome look to the ghoul’s request. She was worried about the damage that had been done but it hadn’t crossed her mind till now. Despite how she felt she scooted closer to the ghoul as he pulled his rucksack close. Rummaging through the packed bag, Hancock pulled out several stimpaks and syringes of Med-x.

Val swallowed hard to the sight of the needles.

  


“ is it really that bad?..” she asked with hesitance, looking up with anxiety in her face.

At first Hancock didn’t want to say yes, but Val read his face clearly.

“it is, isn’t it?...” she uttered bleakly.

  


“No, what makes you say that?” Hancock questioned as he set up the fresh bandages, cloth and water.

  


“ because I remember looking up at you, and seeing your face… I never seen you so distraught over anything.. I knew something was wrong” she replied back, looking at the medical supplies on the chipped table top.

  


“ you stepped right in front of a raging Deathclaw, just how much more worse do you think you could be? “ the ghoul retorted back “I was certain you were dead and even when you looked up at me I wasn’t sure you’d live past that”

Hancock pried the lid off a can of purified water, dispensing it onto a cloth. Val noted the hint of upset in the ghouls face.

  


“please, What about you?... you ran out in the open and pretty much put yourself willingly on the menu, what made you think I wanted to watch you get torn apart by that thing?!” Val said with some tone. She was just as much at fault for getting in that beast way as much as Hancock was.

“what? You think I was seriously going to just let that thing barrel it’s way through that doorway and tear you asunder! I- … I wasn’t just going to watch that…” the ghouls eyes lowered heavily.

  


Val retracted back for a moment. Feeling the ghouls words and his voice sink.

There was a moment of silence between the two. Only the radio played quietly in the background.

  


 

“we are both here, now” she added.

Hancock stopped his preparation, slowly he peered up at the woman, whose face looked more cold and distant. the ghoul said nothing.

“let me see what damage has been done..” Hancock said lifting up the bandaging.

Val paused, but took a breath in when she felt the moist bandages leave her face. She prepared for the ghouls reaction to the injuries with angst.

The ghoul removed the last of the wrapping, reclining back just the slightest to observe the lacerations completely.

Hancock let a small soundless sigh exit his bare nostrils when he took the sight of the wound in.

The gouges that mapped down the woman’s face were serious, but to Hancock’s great relief not nearly as deep as he had first thought. Her pale skin faded into fleshy red closer to the sight of the gashes. The skin was clearly raised and fresh. Dry and fresh blood was smeared all over the left side of her face.

The ghoul noted the set of three gashes, the first started just from the bridge of the woman’s nose going down, breaking to skin that hadn’t been touched, following down to an open cut that went over the left side of her lips. The second was the worst and the one that had the ghoul most concerned for the state of Val’s left eye as it clearly had torn straight over it. Her eye remained shut however but the flesh of the lid didn’t look scorn to deeply to have affected her vision terribly. The last gouge was the faintest as it swept down in a curve on her left cheek.

“how is it?..” Val asked with worry.

“ can you open your eye?” Hancock asked briefly, inspecting the tissue around her eye lid.

  


“ no… but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it….i mean, I don’t think I’ll be blind” she replied back.

  


The ghoul chuckled.

“ for all the injuries you could have sustained, I’d say you scraped your knee in comparison… your damn fuckin lucky” Hancock chortled as he placed the wet cloth to Val’s forehead, dabbing the blood up quickly.

Val seethed at the stinging that proceeded from the clean water entering the fissures of her wounds.

“ I did mention this was going to sting, right?” Hancock said with a smile.

  


“Hardly” Val griped from behind the wash cloth.

“ this next part will… so uh, bear with me here” Hancock said patting his lap for Val to place her head there.

The woman gave a slightly grimace to the sight of the stimpak in the ghouls slender fingers but reluctantly laid her head in the ghouls lap.

“ hopefully this will help so that the scar isn’t too bad” Hancock observed the tissue briefly. “Breath in” the ghoul asked before inserting the syringe deep into the open wound.

  


“ah, god that hurts like a Bitch!!” Val cursed, gritting her teeth tightly.

She could feel the compounds working in her tissue, it throbbed and stung with a slight burning sensation but a side of relief came when the tingling numbness dulled away and spots that she couldn’t feel on her face started to feel normal again.

“there, that should help speed up the healing, good to do it when the wound is still fresh.” Hancock explained as he tossed the empty stimpak to the table.

  


“didn’t you use the one I found?” Val puzzled, looking up at the ghoul.

  


“yes, but that thing didn’t work… the home made ones can be the death of you” Hancock replied with a scoff. Reaching for the fresh roll of bandages.

  


Val sat up from Hancock’s lap. The woman pushed her long hair all to one side, inspecting all the medical gear Hancock had brought Back.

  


“where did you get all this supplies?” she asked looking up at Hancock.

The ghoul glanced up at Val and gave a one sided smile.

“Diamond City…” Hancock uttered.

“ you got in?... how?” Val asked with surprise.

  


“no…I had help…let’s just say we both owe a certain little reporter a favour in the future” Hancock replied half-heartedly.

“wow, I owe Piper a beer.” Val said with astonishment. Just when she thought Piper couldn’t help Val out anymore she managed to step up to the plate again.

  


The ghoul laughed as he began to wrap the fresh gauze and bandaging over Val’s eye. Hancock exhaled calmly as he watched some of the tissue begin to slowly mend together as he wrapped the wound up.

“I think you will be just fine” the ghoul said giving the woman a firm pat of the shoulder.

“thank you, Hancock” she said softly with a smile.

“I have Med-x if you need pain relief, here..” Hancock offered, grabbing the large syringe off the table.

Val’s eyes widen suddenly, with a sour face she raised her hand up.

“ n-no, I don’t like pain killers, they make me feel worse than better, I would much prefer a beer right now” Val said with a wanting tone.

  


“ well… that depends if those raiders left my stash alone, we should have plenty in the storage room. I’ll go look” Hancock said about to rise to his feet.

  


“no, sit let me. You’ve ran around enough for today” Val said pulling the ghoul back to his seat beside her. Val stood up, looking at Hancock with a soft smile.

He observed her walk away, there was an apparent stiffness in her muscles as she moved. The ghoul frowned slightly. He knew it was from the fight with the Deathclaw. Nobody had that much weight fall on them and then have them be physically okay after. The ghoul even marvelled over just watching her walk about like nothing. Rightfully he should be in the rain somewhere swallowed in some sorrow that ate him empty as a human being. But instead he was sitting in a warm safe place with someone who threw their life on the line for him.

  


Was this really a moment for the ghoul to stop and think clearly? Between the events of leaving the Marina this morning all the way to the Fight up at the Natick banks, to Diamond City and back to the Marina. Hancock had little time between to actually get a clear thought in anywhere. Everything was on instinct and when you started thinking like that everything comes in singly, like: Survive, Live, Death… Help.

But right now seemed to be the only time his mind could string together a coherent thought.

Not to unfamiliar to the coherent thoughts he reeled through his head, back when he was watching Val walk ahead of him through the fog this afternoon. Thinking of the good notions that came from travelling with this woman.

The ghoul wanted to laugh but found himself pulling back when he really took a moment to think of just a few hours ago.

He was sitting in stew of blood rain and mud, ready to watch similar events play out again. But he had made a stand this time one that he thought was going to save a life. For a moment Hancock replayed the events of this evening through his head, he was going to conclude his motives were for not but he would be fooling himself if he believed that. His motives were well founded. After all where was he right now?

Sitting back at the Marina, out of the rain where it was warm, safe and with the one person Hancock never wanted to leave behind.

The ghoul pondered Val’s words carefully. His black eyes became heavy for a moment. This had to be a good of time as any.

Staring down at the rucksack on the floor the ghoul reached into the bag.

  


“ well it looks like those raiders didn’t find the stash, thank god” Val chimed as she stepped out from behind the store room wall. She paused when she saw Hancock lift out a heavy bottle of Vodka.

Hancock looked up at her from heavy lids.

  


“Hey. You got a sec? I need you to hear something.” Hancock said pulling out a pack of smokes from his pant pocket. There was a tone in his voice that perked Val’s attention.

She stepped out from the door way with the beers in hand. Her face looked worried to Hancock’s request.

  


“is everything alright?” she asked with a brow raised, concerned.

  


“oh yeah better than that. This is just….. tricky” he uttered out as he lit the smoke.

  


Val placed the beers on the table and took a seat beside the ghoul, she watched the thoughtful expression on the ghouls face as he watched the smoke rise from his cigarette.

  


“it’s just, being out there with you, it’s made me realize. Most of my life to this point, I’ve been running out on the good things I got.” Hancock said with a level of sorrow just hinting in the back of his voice. It made Val hold attention even deeper. She knew that what ever was to follow next was something that meant quiet abit to the ghoul.

“ I skipped out on my family, my life in Diamond City. Took up with you just to get outta Goodneighbour. Hell running from myself is what made me into… into a damn ghoul.” Hancock carried regret in his voice with the words he said. Val hadn’t noticed the knitting of her brows come together from the feeling she got when she heard Hancock’s tone. She was trying to work out what the ghoul was going to say next and listened.

Hancock took a long drag and heavy exhale of the cigarette in his skeletal fingers. There was a pause from him.

“ but being here with you, for the first time in my life things have just felt… right. And running, it’s the furthest thing from my mind. I mean, I left Goodneighbour thinking I was gonna just sharpen up the ol killer instinct.” Hancock said with a more raised tone. “but whether it’s fate or destiny or just god damn coincidence, I ended up with someone like you”

The ghoul looked up at the woman who sat beside him, he looked over her face to see how she was handling the conversation so far. And so far she was listening loud and clear.

  


“I turned one of the nastiest settlements in the commonwealth into a refuge for the lost. I thought I’d done something I could hang my hat on. But being out there with you . it’s made me realize just how small time I’d been thinking. And that maybe all my running, from my life, myself… maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.” Hancock explained. There was a hint of a relieving tone in his voice.

  


It made Val pull back for a moment, she wasn’t sure what this meant. What point he was trying to make. Val noted his awkward behavior more than once today, but this had her grasping for straws that she didn’t have.

  


“and how longs it going to be before you abandon me too?” Val asked, uncertain. Something in her gut told her that might not have been the right thing to say, but she needed to know just what he meant.

“ hey. Things keep going the way their going. You got nothing to worry about” the ghoul assured the woman sitting beside him, noting in her body language she was unsure. “so lemme get to the point. Throwing in with you has been the best decision I’ve ever made.” Hancock said with a soft raspy voice that brought Val to a smile.

  


“it’s like I found a part of myself I never realized was missing… which happens sometimes when you’re a ghoul. If I hadn’t taken up with you. I’d probably be in a gutter somewhere, getting gnawed on by rad roaches.” The ghoul said with a moderately sour look. “ you have been one hell of a friend.” Hancock said firmly. It was obvious that the time the two had spent together meant a deal to both of them. At first Val really nulled it through her head, Hancock pretty much bared his soul to her. She never expected that level of openness from anyone in a world like this. Yet here Hancock was. Giving up the deepest parts of his thoughts to her. She felt a sense of privilege to know his story. Of all the people in the commonwealth that she had met and befriended so far he was the only one who really opened up to her so greatly.

Val couldn’t lie to herself, hearing Hancock’s words where in a way so similar to what she felt. But she couldn’t just dismiss it as friendship. She had a driven motive when she threw herself in front of the Deathclaw, to protect Hancock.

And why did she do that? Why would she step in the middle of death? She knew very well why she did it. Val felt somehow the same too much of what Hancock had bared. If she could have stepped infront of that man to save her husband and her son, she would have willingly, but events didn’t play out like that. The incident at Natick banks was no different to her.

But this time she had the opportunity to stop it and she grabbed it with both hands. And despite the damage she had suffered both her and Hancock were sitting here, Alive.

Maybe it was fate, or destiny ,that her and the ghoul sat in each other’s presence tonight. Val strongly believed that everything happened for a reason.

She couldn’t dilute her thoughts anymore. After all this, after nearly coming so close to death. After the lengths Hancock went to, to insure that she lived. There was no doubt anymore.

  


“Have you ever thought about us as maybe more than just friends?” Val asked sheepishly. She was taking a lot into hand here. Hancock couldn’t just be bearing his heart here for nothing

  


The ghoul chortled softly, his black eyes had a glow behind them, that Val gave a soft smile to. Hancock lowered his eyes. Taking the full bottle of vodka in hand, removing the cap the ghoul poured a few shots into the chipped glasses on the table.

“heh. It that obvious? But come on. You don’t want to wake up to this mug every morning. Never wished that on anyone I cared for.” Hancock said in joking manner. lifting up the full cups off the table, handing one off to the woman beside him.

  


Val raised a doubtful brow to her Ghoul companion. He really should have known her before the bombs fell. Despite Hancock’s deathly appearance, Val didn’t want to base her affections entirely on looks. But she had a soft spot for the zombie features . Always did and that didn’t change over the last 210 years.Call it her artistic vision of everyone she met. But Hancock had all the right features that appealed to her like no other. Hancock’s deep blackened eyes were what had her gripped so tightly she usually found herself looking away with a reluctant smile. Hancock knew that was Obvious.

But Val’s smile grew strong.

“you’re just the way I like. Screw anyone who makes you feel ashamed.” Val replied back firmly. Lowering her head down to look the ghoul affectionately in his soulful eyes.

The ghoul perked up and gave a cocky smile when he heard Val’s response.

  


“wasn’t thinking about the folks doing the shaming” Hancock cooed with a suave rasp in that luring voice.

The ghoul wanted to laugh when Val coughed into her glass to the ghouls smooth words. Val’s sinuses burned sharply to the alcohol that splashed up into her nasal passages.

Val looked into her companions face as she tried to cope with the burn, but she felt a warmth that was stronger than what scorned her sinus.

“heh. Moments like this, I know all that karma stuff is bull. Because no one like me should be this lucky.” the ghoul said with a chuckle.

 

“Luck had nothing to do with it. There’s a reason why you and me are sitting here. even… even back when I first stepped into Goodneighbour and met you… something just told me there was something more to it” Val explained as she looked into her glass of liquor. Running her finger over the rim slowly.

  


Hancock reached out for the hand that caressed the glass. Gently curling his boney fingers over Val’s. the woman shot her sight up to the ghoul who gazed back at her with deep dark pools.

  


“ You and me together. This is my kinda freak show. ” Hancock purred out smoothly.

Val took a soft breath of air in, there was a feeling that tugged inside her when she heard his words. A feeling she hadn’t felt for over 2 centuries. It almost wanted to make her cry.

  


“Hancock...” she whispered out. Looking over the ghoul’s fine features.

They came close as Hancock raised a skeletal hand up to the woman’s pale cheek. She wanted to shiver from the level of excitement and unknown that grew inside her. She was trapped in his eyes, an abyss so deep that she was lost.

It was almost a complete loss of sense when Hancock took her lips against his. So slow time seemed to pass. Both of these beings felt a wave of sensation that was fleeting, in a world like this, was this experience even real?

Val pulled away from Hancock, but not suddenly. She looked at the observing expression the ghoul projected. His breathing was slightly heavier then compared to seconds ago.

The woman couldn’t question the situation. Neither could the ghoul. It was easy to read in his body language that this was something he needed. There was a look of want in his face that had Val so pulled into her desire she pushed into a heated kiss, that made Hancock hum pleasurably to the action.

Through the passion of the kiss, Val took Hancock’s full glass of vodka from his hands and placed both his and her cups on the table. Aside from his lit smoke between his fingers, the ghouls hands were free to move down the woman’s slender arms softly. Val loved the feel, the texture of his skin as she let his hands make ventures over her flesh. Val couldn’t help but let the littlest moan escape from her lips.

Hancock took that moment to deepen the lock between them. Val could taste the ghoul. He tasted pleasantly of leather and cigarettes. But Val wasn’t overly surprised to discover that. Despite looking like a corpse, the ghoul was far from tasting like how he looked.

Val felt her heart beat pick up, when Hancock pulled away to move down to her pale neck. Placing firm yet gentle bites upon the skin as Val fisted Hancock’s blouse in her fingers.

She placed her hand on Hancock’s bare chest, running her digits over the grooves of his skin while the ghoul slickly ran his moist and warm tongue over the nape of her neck.

  


“oh god…” Val shivered out.

Hancock’s grin curled sharply to the woman’s response. His grin grew wider yet, when the woman between his arms pushed him back against the arm of the couch.

The ghoul let out a hiss of air when he looked up at the dark haired woman who made her way on top of him, straddling his waist. There was little time for the ghoul to say anything when Val’s nimble fingers made short work of the buttons. Swiftly she opened his blouse, ghosting her fingers over his bare chest once again. She loved the details in his chest. To most of the people in the common wealth. Ghouls were viewed on many different levels. Most of the time not that highly. But she viewed this ghoul so fondly, she didn’t see what everyone else viewed. Val’s expression lit up when she saw the steamed look on Hancock’s face. The urge was great and she dove down to the ghouls neck and returned the affection she had received early in a similar fashion.

A rough growl hummed from Hancock to his companion’s assault on his neck. It had been awhile since the ghoul saw any action like this. But this meant so much more, despite the time between encounters. Instinct worked at peak performance, as the ghouls hands gripped tightly on Val’s hips. grinding her down forcefully against the hard muscle that was driving the ghouls desire.

“Hancock!” Val gasped sharply with surprise.

The look in Hancock’s obsidian eyes from under the curve of his tricorner hat, along with that devilish smile. It was intoxicating. In a fluent motion Val slinked down the ghouls chest. Nipping and teasing his chest as she ventured lower.

Her fingers gracefully danced over the shape of the stiffened organ in the ghouls vintage pants. Finding their way back up to undo the old American flag Hancock had fashionably tied around his thin waist.

Hancock watched with heavy eyes as the fabric released. Observing the woman’s next move as she gazed up to lose herself in his orbs again.

Hancock’s member gave a hard twitch to the darkly allure that was on the scarred face of the woman between his legs.

Just that look gave the ghoul the urge to just fist Val’s long hair in his spider like fingers, tear his pants down and feed her his necrotic length. Hancock chewed his lower lip impatiently. It was so hard not to act upon the urge. The ghoul knew there was no turning back once this started getting really hot and heavy.

Hancock was not one to start something and leave it unfinished. best to give Val fair warning.

“ hey. Uh… are you sure this is what you want?” Hancock questioned respectfully.

Val peeked up at him, her expression was blank for a moment. The ghoul swallowed slowly as he tried to gage Val reaction.

She returned a soft smile.

  


“relax… and live a little.” Val said with Charm, gazing up at the ghoul as she pulled the fabric of his breeches. Releasing the ghouls length.

Hancock smirked to Val’s response, leaning his head back blissfully when the woman ran a smooth finger tip from the head down to the base teasingly.

Val wanted to verbally promote the sight she saw before her. Gently wrapping her pale fingers around the textured shaft. Even though most ghouls were missing patches of skin, flaking or gone completely. Val found with Hancock’s manhood it was pleasantly shaped and detailed. The ghouls head was bare, surprisingly smooth compared to the rest of his body. His shaft however , seemed almost decorated with how the thin layer of skin stretched over the muscle. It was not without it’s imperfections, exposed tissue and veins peeked through meager tears and patches . but Val was visually pleased so far. She wondered just how good Hancock was going to feel. The ghoul was well endowed. But yet again appearance wasn’t Val’s main desire.

 

Slowly, the tip of Hancock’s member was pressed against the soft curves of Val’s lips. The ghoul took a long inhale when he watched the tip slowly disappear between the woman’s pink lips.

God damn if Hancock just wanted to blow his quark as soon as he felt Val’s moist and heated tongue swipe across the underside of his head. Instead he let out quite the rewarding moan for the woman.

She smiled around his girth to his pleasure. Slowly bobbing her head up and down his veiny member.

The textures tickled the surface of her tongue as she continued to work consistently up to a decent pace.

The ghoul brought his cigarette up to his thin lips, taking a sweet inhale of nicotine into his lungs watching as the woman made beautiful work of his cock.

She glanced up at him with her good eye. So dark. Hancock couldn’t help but fist her long Mohawk in his hand tightly to that face she gave him.

With her hair bunched in his fingers he pushed Val’s head down upon his length. Feeling his tip hit the back of her throat.

Val gave a soft mew to the surprise of Hancock using her mouth so dominantly. He pulled back on her hair. Placing his smoke between his lips. Using his now free hand to grip the base of his cock as he guided Val to suck and lick his length like a zombie popsicle.

“Holy Fuck…” Hancock moaned out darkly.

As he continued to use Val’s mouth, the woman peered up once more. She felt a tight clench between her thighs that began to get persistently wet when Hancock pulled her back from his throbbing member. gently swiping it over her bare cheek.

Hancock needed more than just this woman being orally latched to his cock. Quickly he sat up.

“you’re wearing way to much…. “ the ghoul hissed lustfully, curling his finger under Val’s tank top. Throwing the article to the floor hastily.

Val let out a sharp gasp to the cold air on her now bare chest. Out of habit she brought her arms up to cover her breasts but was met with firm hands holding her arms back. she shot her eyes at the ghoul whose eyes were so clouded with lust, he looked almost hungry.

  


“don’t cover…” he said softly, hoisting the woman to straddle his waist again as he quickly tried to tug the worn green denim shorts off. Hissing at the piece of clothing, Hancock swiped both shorts and panties off in one quick motion. Val watched as her undergarments sailed through the air in an arch across the room.

“hey…” she said with a slight whine.

  


The ghoul smirked.

“Trust me. You won’t be needing those for awhile.” The ghoul purred.

The ghoul reclined onto the arm of the couch. His black eyes scanned over the bare white skin of the woman who was straddled over his aching cock. Val saw his eyes work over every inch of her. It had been so long since she had been completely exposed like this. Yet again out of habit she wanted to cover her scarred stomach. But Hancock knew this and held her wrists. Feeling the tug in her arms. The ghoul didn’t care to see the marks that ran up her lower abdomen and branched around her naval like spindly tree limbs. Shaun must have been a large baby Hancock assessed, he could feel Val’s insecurities peak.

  


“don’t be ashamed. Your scars are… scars like mine.” Hancock reassured with a loving tone, looking up at the woman. Whose expression changed to his words.

  


“Hancock…” she said softly, leaning down to take his lips against hers once more.

With a purr the ghoul placed a firm hand over the taught curve of Val’s ass while his free hand gripped the base of his aching member tightly. Stroking it back and forth over the pink nub that peeked from behind the petals of Val’s wetness.

 

“god,… Hancock I don’t think I can wait any longer.” Val mewled breathlessly, feeling the tip of the ghouls cock go over her opening.

  


“you don’t have too.” Hancock said softly as he pressed his Cock against her entrance.

Val’s eyes widen to the pressure of Hancock’s length pressing into her . she gasped, the ghoul saw this and pulled her down to catch her gasp in a kiss. Easing his length up into her as Val sank down slowly onto him.

A tight knot tied in her abdomen to the rise in pleasure. The ghoul was opening her wide the deeper she took in his inches. Val didn’t think she could take anymore in. for a moment the ghoul paused, looking up into the woman’s face. A thin line of tears brimmed in her eye.

Hancock kept her still for a moment by tightly holding onto her hips, his thumb curved over her hip bone. Hancock let out a deep growl that made Val shudder. It was clear the ghoul was enjoying this. He breathed out heavily when she clenched tightly around his girth. Hancock’s eyes narrowed. She could still take alittle more.

In one simple move he pressed down on Val’s hips. jerking them forward and back suddenly as he pushed himself up into her further.

Val let out a surprised shriek that was a mix of surprise, pain and pleasure. Hancock’s expression was lustfully dark to this response. He could feel he was pressed right up against her cervix. A spongy wall that rubbed his tip just so with the motion of him guiding the woman’s hips back and forth. grinding into her.

“aah!...oh god!” Val cried to the pressure that seemed to want to make it’s way deeper into her.

  


“Take it all in” Hancock said with a grin to the woman who was coming apart from the intrusion.

Slowly the two bodies took on a steady rhythm . both hearts began to beat harder as temperatures rise.

Val’s hands ran over Hancock’s chest hungrily, with the pressure and pleasure combined she looked for a place to secure her hands. Needing a body to hold onto as the ghoul below her, used her hips vigorously to bring them both intense sensations.

Val let out a soft cry to the feeling of having a cock open her. Living day to day in the wasteland just trying to survive she had forgotten what sex could be like. She felt like a first timer all over again. There was a slight ache to her insides but that was greatly out measured by the pleasure completely.

The raspy and deep moans of the ghoul below her were driving her so wild it was giving her a fluttering feeling in her gut that connected straight to the knot in her abdomen.

Val arched her back deeply, pressing herself onto the ghouls warm chest to allow him to enter her with more ease. Though the change in position had Val edging fairly fast.

Hancock felt this around his member, the warm and moist sensation that coated his length as he pulled himself out of her just to drive back in harder, was a clear indicator the woman above him wasn’t going to need much more to make her tip over the edge.

Within a few more grinding thrusts, the ghoul noticed that the woman in his grip went suddenly ridged and quiet. The grip around his cock however flooded with wetness as the hugging velvet walls around him contracted repeatedly and tightly.

It wasn’t till just a few seconds into it that Val let out a long and breathless cry that tipped Hancock into a different gear.

Val was in mid orgasm when the ghoul shifted his legs and weight against the woman.

Val peeped with surprise as she rode out the wave of pleasure. Feeling the ghoul wrap his slender arms under her . pressing her down onto the couch cushions.

Val gazed up at the ghoul who now had her pinned under him. Hancock held her wrists above her head as he looked at the heated mess that was below him.

Val’s eyes were wide as she gazed up at the ghoul who still had her impaled on his cock, she twisted her hips against his, feeling his cock pull up hard inside her. There was that pulse again that made her want to cum once more. She gave the ghoul a wanting mew.

Hancock’s eye were narrowed on his prize below him, he loved how this woman looked under him. She looked like a piece of art with his cock so deeply in her.

Val took slow breaths in, reaching up to Hancock’s tricorner and removing it from it’s owners cranium. Placing it a top the table.

Val took the ghouls face between her Hands. Looking into his deepened and black eyes. Just barely could she see the irises that were masked with lens thick as oil. Val swore his eyes were a rich blue.

  


“ Hancock…. I love you” Val whispered out softly as her hands found rest on Hancock’s narrow shoulders.

  


“I love you too” Hancock said with silk in his deep voice.

The pair leaned back into each other, sharing a heated kiss.Val’s arms were placed carefully over the ghouls shoulders, tightly she held onto him as Hancock broke away from the kiss to continue thrusting into the woman under him.

Hancock grinned widely as he buried his face into the nape of Val’s neck. Loving the pitches of her voice as she cried out loudly to the overwhelming waves of post orgasm sensation.

The woman’s hands clutched desperately to the ghouls worn blouse that was loosely hanging off his skeletal frame.

Each thrust was like a torture so sweet Val didn’t want it to end. Hancock’s member twitched hard up into her repeatedly. She knew the ghoul wasn’t far from tipping the knife. Her heart thumped with a heavy beat to the thought of the ghoul hitting his climax.

She could hear in his moans that this was coming in only a few short moves.

Val moved closely to his ear, pressing her soft lips to the shell of flesh.

“please… Hancock… cum in me” she whispered with want.

  


Hancock gave a shudder that ran down his spine. He was intoxicated off of her. He let out a heavy breath. The ghoul’s hand shot up and fisted Val’s hair tightly once again, pulling her head to the left. Allowing the ghoul to latch his teeth onto her neck firmly.

Val gave a rewarding moan which peaked into a higher pitch when Hancock forced himself into her harshly.

It took only a few deep and hard thrusts into the woman below him that sent him over the edge.

Hancock let an animalistic growl escape his lips as he felt his cock pull hard. A wave of warmth and daze that was almost like a hit of jet flooded the ghouls senses as he pushed into his woman deeply.

Val felt herself become filled with a wet heat that made her walls contract painfully tight.

The ghoul shot a thick, hot and large load into the woman trapped underneath him.

She whimpered out breathlessly as the ghoul rode out his orgasm, thrusting into her slowly as he did so.

The room was silent, save for the two bodies on the couch that breathed heavily from the moment of heated passion.

It took a moment for them to regain sense. Hancock sighed deeply as he raised to his hands, looking down at the woman that was bare beneath him.

A single green eye gazed up at a pair of black ones. She could only smile. The ghoul returned the smile as he lent down to kiss his woman. Pulling himself out of her earned him a sad moan.

The ghoul chuckled throatily. Sitting back Hancock inspected the mess he had made. He watched the woman breath heavily as he watched a white trickle of fluid seep out of the woman who observed him equally.

“I knew it.” Hancock said faithfully.

“ you knew what?... “ Val asked, raising up onto her elbows looking past her shaking legs to the ghoul who had a cocky grin about his face.

  


“ that It would be every bit as good as I had thought “ Hancock chimed.

  


At first Val didn’t know what Hancock meant. She folded her legs together with a curious look on her face, till it dawned on her.

  


“you little shit” she said cheekily.

“nice to finally know what you meant by “impure thoughts” ” Val said reaching for the pack of smokes on the table.

The ghoul laughed. Pulling out his lighter and lighting Val’s smoke. The ghoul watched the woman take a couple drags of the smoke. She glanced up at him.

  


“what? “ Val asked.

  


“i must be a bad influence” Hancock stated. Watching the woman handle her smoke with grace.

  


“you’re more than a bad influence” she purred with an exhale of smoke.

The ghoul gave a sultry look with a peaked eyebrow to Val. She smiled back.

Hancock leaned back down to lay beside his Woman. pulling the rough blanket that draped over the couch onto him and the naked woman that nuzzled up to him. She passed off the cigarette to the ghoul as he settled in, welcoming Val to curl up in his arm.

  


Through the air. The radio played softly in the background. With the rain still beating down on the tin roof of the boat house. The intertwined bodies basked in the orange glow of the dim lighting. Ease and the longing for rest drove both of them to seek the refuge of sleep. Val’s eyes grew heavy as she lulled to the sound of Hancock’s heart beating blissfully in her ear.

  


<oooo00000OOOOOO00000oooo>

  


The morning crept up with a bleak gray sky that painted over the commonwealth. The rain had washed over the rotting wood boards of the Marina docks, leaving a mask of sheen that reflected the pasty sky above.

The water plunged loudly as the dead weight of a deceased raiders body hit the surface heavily. The lifeless body lulled to the surface as it slowly made it’s way down stream.

Hancock straightened up, dusting off his thin hands as he watched the bodies of the two raiders that had trespassed onto the marina, float gently down the river.

Hancock let out a sigh as he averted his gaze from the river up to the looming horizon. There was a founding feeling deep inside him this day. Maybe it as just waking up to live another day, or waking up to the woman he had longed for, in his arms this morning.

The ghoul had a soft smile on his weathered face. Listening to the boots of his woman, come up beside him as she observed the bodies list down the stream.

Val placed her hands in her pockets, looking over to the ghoul who now had turned to smile at her lovingly.

“ the turrets are finally wired up, we don’t need to worry about asshole like those showing up unexpectedly” Val chimed.

“I have this nagging feeling that those guys came from the over pass we went under yesterday” Hancock said looking back down the river.

Val glanced up with a puzzled look on her face.

“ how do you know?” she asked.

  


Hancock paused, rolling on the back of his heels.

  


“Call it a hunch… but it doesn’t matter any more. Anybody tries the stunt these guys did will only be digging their own graves.” Hancock assured Val with a smile.

Val giggled. The most of the hard work was now done with at the Egret tours Marina. Val was glad, she wanted to move onto something else now. Especially now that life had a new light shown upon it.

Hancock gazed down to the woman beside him, wrapping his arm around her small frame. He pulled Val in close to his side.

Val felt a sense of warmth despite the wind picking up, blowing the dried leaves over the face of the river. She breathed the cool air in deeply. Looking up at the fading gradient of dark gray to lighter over the sky was beautiful. Val loved it.

The Bode of renewal was a shared feeling. The ghoul held his smile confidently.

  


“come love. We should get this freak show on the road.”

  


A/N: well if you managed to read all the way to the end, then I’m glad you did. I plan on more fanfictions in the future revolving around Val and Hancock. So if you liked this pairing between this sole survivor and the mayor of goodneighbour, then keep your eyes peeled for more later on down the road.

Thanks so much to anyone who has taken the time to read my fanfiction.

 


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